A new nanotechnology-enabled process utilizing UV-curable coatings was developed to impart resistance to the growth of Stachybotrys chartarum toxic black mold on wallboard. If wallboard has been in a flooded area, even with only several inches of immersion, water will seep into the interior of the wallboard to the paper covering, supporting growth of mold. A coating is applied to ordinary wallboard inhibiting this process. The underlying technology was derived from a novel approach to selection of polymerizable monomers together with specific nano-material additives in a product that uses no water or organic solvents. Thus, the liquid coating is a "100 percent solids" with viscosity that allows application with conventional systems. UV-curing takes place in under a minute in an ambient temperature process that permits use on heat sensitive materials. Examples of the nanotechnology-enabled chemistry and consequent properties are described that reduced moisture transmission on filter paper up to 200 times compared to uncoated paper substrates, approaching the performance of polyethyleneterephthalate (PETP). The use of barriers formed by these coatings has been shown to inhibit the formation of toxic Stachybotrys chartarum black mold on wallboard, without the addition of anti-fungals and their attendant complications.
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