Netherlands. Researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology have for the first time developed a coating with a surface that repairs itself after damage.
Experts indicate that this coating could be used for several applications, such as cell phones that would be kept clean of footprints, vehicles that will never need to be washed again and airplanes that will need repainting less frequently.
Functional coatings, for example, with high water resistance or antibacterial properties, have nano-sized molecular groups on their surface that provide these specific properties. But so far, these molecular groups are irreversibly damaged by easy contact with their smaller surface (for example, by scratching), quickly causing it to lose its properties. This can be a limitation of the possible applications of this type of coatings.
However, it seems that they have already found a solution to that problem. The researcher, Catarina Esteves developed surfaces with special stems by carrying the chemical functional groups at their ends, and mixing them through the coating. If the surface is removed by scratching, the stems in the non-recurring layer reorient towards the new surface, thus restoring function.
Other applications are contact lenses that self-repair their scratches, and coatings that resist algae formation, which is an advantage for ships. A limitation of the new technology is that it works with only surface scratches that do not fully penetrate the coating.
It is expected that the product will still eliminate its limitations and that it will be ready for production in about six or eight years at prices comparable to those of today.
