REAL LIFE NEWS: WATERPROOF PAINT MEANS NEVER HAVING TO CLEAN AGAIN
by Hazed
Imagine never having to wash your car again. Imagine spilling soup on your shirt and being able to just wipe it off without leaving a stain. Imagine windows that clean themselves.
All these things could become a reality, thanks to a new “paint” that is a self-cleaning coating. It can be applied to hard surfaces made of glass or steel, as well as cloth and paper. It’s also resistant to damage and will keep on repelling dirt even after being scratched with a knife.
Surfaces coated with the new paint, made from titanium-dioxide, become super-repellent to water and oil. Any liquid that lands on it just forms spheres that roll away, carrying dust and dirt with them.
This means clothes soaked in the substance become effectively waterproof. Inky stains can be shaken off.
“Being waterproof allows materials to self-clean as water forms marble-shaped droplets that roll over the surface, acting like miniature vacuum cleaners picking up dirt, viruses and bacteria along the way,” said Yao Lu, a member of the research team at University College London.
This doesn’t just have implications for cleaning. The titanium-dioxide paint has a hydrophobic tendency that is so strong, it made toy boats float higher in the water when they were coated with the stuff. If it were to be applied to the hulls of full-sized hips they would need between 10 and 15 per cent less fuel, said Prof Parkin.
But never mind that, I just want a shirt that will withstand my messy eating habits.
