Guest_Jim_* Posted March 17, 2015 Posted March 17, 2015 Many people love the idea of self-cleaning objects, as it removes or at least reduces the work we have to do and in some cases and prolong the life of the object. To achieve this, the surface of the object is made superhydrophobic, so water just beads on it, but the superhydrophobic materials we make tend to be very fragile. Researchers at University College London, Imperial College London, and Dalian University have succeeded in making a superhydrophobic paint that can coat various materials and survives damage. Superhydrophobic materials are self-cleaning because they repel water so strongly, that any water that hits them just beads and rolls off, taking dirt away with it. If the material is damaged or exposed to oil however, this effect can be lost. To preserve it, the researchers created a paint of coated titanium dioxide nanoparticles and combined it with various adhesives, depending on the material to be coated. The adhesive prevented the coating from being removed by normal wear and tear. The researchers have tested their paint on various materials, including steel, glass, cotton, and even paper, and all of them became self-cleaning. Because they used readily available materials, their method can be scaled up for industrial purposes. Source: University College London Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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