Self-cleaning coating—researchers have developed a very rugged special layer that dirt simply runs off. This self-cleaning coating protects paper, steel and clothing from dirt and damage...
...The researchers from University College London write that the material could even withstand knife blades. They utilise nanoparticles of titanium dioxide in two different grain sizes. These are mixed in an ethanol solution. Then you can then coat surfaces with the mixture. Water droplets form spherical structures and thus cannot wet the surface and remove any dirt.
The scientists claim to have found a solution for both the coating and for abrasion. On solid surfaces, double-sided tape was used to fix the coating material. For soft materials, they used spray adhesive. As a result, the surface still remained waterproof even after several knife cuts. According to the scientists Lu and Parkin, the coating could be an innovation in clothing and car paint. If it is covered with oil, it can also be useful for gears and bearings that require lubricants. "The use of spray adhesive is really innovative," says Heinz Sturm of the Federal Institute for Materials Research in Berlin. The method of manufacture of the coating material was already well known, however. Sturm is sceptical regarding the application in gears and bearings: "It will probably only work when the transmitted load is not very great." How much pressure the thin layer can withstand could only be determined in mechanical experiments.
Source: Spiegel online
