Alumenate®
Alumenate® Sputter Targets: Silver, re-engineered.
A MIMSI Materials and Materion Collaboration
Modern windows rely on low-emissivity (low-e) coatings to reduce energy losses through the glazing while still being transparent to the human eye. Such a coating consists of several different layers of material, wherein its functionality is enabled by the use of a thin silver layer. The coated glass industry has long recognized that alloying silver improves the mechanical and chemical durability of low-e coatings. However, this compromises the optical and electrical performance of the coatings. Through a decade of dedicated R&D, MIMSI Materials has created the first industry-validated, high-performance silver alloy to replace state-of-the-art silver layers, unlocking new technological possibilities within the low-e coating market.
Materion and MIMSI: The Collaboration Advantage
Key Benefits of Alumenate® Sputter Targets
Improved Durability
Being an alloy, Alumenate targets provide your coating with inherently better mechanical and chemical durability without compromising any other performance metric of the coating.
Lower Absorption
Low-e coatings using the Alumenate target instead of silver have lower absorption, resulting in increased daylight transmission and new possibilities to control the color of the coating.
Drop-in Solution
The Alumenate target is applied through DC magnetron sputtering in industry-standard coating lines (off-line coated glass/soft coated glass).
Lower Carbon Footprint
Through the potential to improve energy and material-use efficiency in the manufacturing of coated glass products, increased durability throughout the product’s life and improved energy performance when installed, Alumenate targets lift the bar for high-performance coated glass while lowering its embodied and operational carbon footprint.
Sustainability Impact of Alumenate® Sputter Targets
Life Cycle Impact
As the operational performance of building products improves, the embodied carbon often increases in both relative and absolute terms. Low-e coatings provide a highly effective way of improving operational carbon, but are susceptible to mechanical damage and corrosion; this poses challenges when handling, shipping and storing coated glass, thereby contributing to an increase of embodied carbon.
Alumenate is the first material for low-e coatings which can improve the operational carbon footprint of coated glass while optimizing the embodied carbon footprint by increasing the durability of the coating, opening unprecedented possibilities of raising the bar for the whole life cycle carbon performance of coated glass.
Sustainable Development Goals
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) describe 17 key areas to be addressed in the global journey towards a sustainable future. Every goal outlines both specific targets to be achieved by 2030 and indicators on how performance is measured. See below for how we contribute (goal, target and indicator in parentheses):
Our material allows more natural light to pass through coated window glass. Exposure to daylight regulates our circadian rhythms and has been shown to improve alertness, mood and decrease blood pressure. (SDG 3.4.1, 3.4.2)
We enable windows to mitigate energy losses through the building facade. This reduces the need for heating and cooling, thus making buildings more energy-efficient. (SDG 7.3.1)
Decreasing the energy requirements of coated glass manufacturing and building operation alleviates demand on the power grid, thereby contributing to the reduction of CO2. (SDG 9.4.1)
