Smart Functional Coatings: 2025 Innovations and Key Developments

Arno Schut graduated from the Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands. After having served in several research roles, he joined an acquisition of Elementis Specialties as Technical Manager for the Coating Additives in 2000. There he developed various functional additives for the coating industry based on polymer and natural sourced chemistries.

He was part of the Univar CASE group for several years as European technical manager which gave him a great overview of the coating market, the raw materials used and organometallic chemistry in particular. Arno joined the French company Axcentive as Innovation manager in 2012 to develop technologies for smart and functional coatings. Being simultaneously part of the business development side of the company he got a clear sense of the market demand and precise technology needs. These insights supported to create successful development product-based sol-gel and preceramic nanotechnology for smart and functional coatings.

This technology base allows for chemical modifications on nano level to suite a certain performance need. Smart and functional coatings with specific properties such as self-cleaning, easy to clean, anticorrosive or corrosive sensing, antimicrobial, colour shifting, superhydrophobic, or superhydrophilic properties can be produced with nanotechnology.

Fields of Expertise: Nanotechnology, Sol-gel chemistry, Organometallic chemistry, Photocatalytic coatings , Smart/functional coatings, Organic coatings, and Coatings market.