| Posted: Sep 08, 2016 | |
New material to revolutionize water proofing (w/video)(Nanowerk News) Scientists at The Australian National University (ANU) have developed a new spray-on material with a remarkable ability to repel water (ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, "Ultra-Durable and Transparent Self-Cleaning Surfaces by Large-Scale Self-Assembly of Hierarchical Interpenetrated Polymer Networks"). |
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| The new protective coating could eventually be used to waterproof mobile phones, prevent ice from forming on aeroplanes or protect boat hulls from corroding. | |
| "The surface is a layer of nanoparticles, which water slides off as if it's on a hot barbecue," said PhD student William Wong, from the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory at the ANU Research School of Engineering. | |
| The team created a much more robust coating than previous materials by combining two plastics, one tough and one flexible. | |
| "It's like two interwoven fishing nets, made of different materials," Mr Wong said. | |
| The water-repellent or superhydrophobic coating is also transparent and extremely resistant to ultraviolet radiation. | |
| Scientists at The Australian National University (ANU) have developed a new spray-on material with a remarkable ability to repel water. | |
| Lead researcher and head of the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory, Associate Professor Antonio Tricoli, said the new material could change how we interact with liquids. | |
| "It will keep skyscraper windows clean and prevent the mirror in the bathroom from fogging up," Associate Professor Tricoli said. | |
| "The key innovation is that this transparent coating is able to stabilise very fragile nanomaterials resulting in ultra-durable nanotextures with numerous real-world applications." | |
| The team developed two ways of creating the material, both of which are cheaper and easier than current manufacturing processes. | |
| One method uses a flame to generate the nanoparticle constituents of the material. For lower temperature applications, the team dissolved the two components in a sprayable form. | |
| In addition to waterproofing, the new ability to control the properties of materials could be applied to a wide range of other coatings, said Mr Wong. | |
| "A lot of the functional coatings today are very weak, but we will be able to apply the same principles to make robust coatings that are, for example, anti-corrosive, self-cleaning or oil-repellent," he said. |
| Source: Australian National University | |
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