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New coating changes the properties of glass

15.08.2013

The developed clear coating makes ordinary glass very durable, self-cleaning and incredibly slippery. Glass with such properties is useful everywhere: from smartphone screens to car windows.

Engineers and scientists from Harvard University have created a unique coating based on their own development: a technology for the production of super-slippery porous synthetic films called SLIPS. The new coating is less slippery than older prototypes, but much more durable and completely transparent. This allows you to create useful materials that repel almost all types of dirt and at the same time protect the glass from scratches and do not obstruct your view. Imagine how convenient car windows and mirrors would be, from which water and dirt roll off without stopping. In addition, the new coating can be used to make durable, scratch-resistant eyeglass lenses, self-cleaning windows and solar panels, as well as new medical diagnostic devices.

To create the new SLIPS coating, the researchers placed tiny spherical polystyrene particles on a flat glass surface. Then the particles were filled with liquid glass, up to about half the height of the polystyrene spheres. As the glass solidified, the bursting spherical polystyrene particles formed a honeycomb of an array of tiny craters, which were then filled with a special liquid SLIPS lubricant. The honeycomb structure gives the new coating mechanical strength, and the thin layer of liquid lubricant allows any liquid to easily flow over the glass surface. A similar function is performed by a thin layer of melted water under the blade of a skater's skates.

When developing SLIPS technology, scientists were inspired by the unique features of the carnivorous Sarracenia plant, which lures insects to the surface of the leaves, so slippery that even the prehensile paws of insects cannot hold on to them. Scientists have succeeded in creating a synthetic analogue of the coating of sarracenia leaves, which, unlike previous water-repellent materials, repels even oil and sticky liquids such as honey. The new coating also resists the formation of ice and bacterial biofilms.

Currently, scientists are improving the technology for the production of a new coating, to transfer it to industry. Experiments are also being carried out with the coating of various materials, such as plexiglass, as well as glass products of complex shape.

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