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 In research published in the journal Science on Thursday, the
scientists said the paint, made from coated titanium dioxide
nanoparticles, is extremely repellent to water but, unlike other
waterproof coatings, continues to work even when damaged or exposed
to oil.
Because it is so hard-wearing, it could be used for a wide range of
applications, from clothing to cars.
"The biggest challenge for self-cleaning surfaces is finding a way
to make them tough enough to withstand everyday damage," said Claire
Carmalt, a professor of inorganic chemistry at University College
London, who co-led the research.
"The surfaces tend to be mechanically weak and so rub off easily.
But by pairing our paint with different adhesives, we've shown it is
possible to make a robust self-cleaning surface."
In their experiments, Carmalt's team used different coating methods
to create repellent surfaces, depending on the material.
To coat glass and steel, they used a spray-gun, for cotton wool they
used dip-coating, and for paper a syringe.
"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 of UCL's chemistry department, who
co-led the study.
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"For this to happen the surface must be rough and waxy, so we set
out to create these conditions on hard and soft surfaces by
designing our own paint and combining it with different adhesives."
The team's results showed that in all cases, the materials became
waterproof and self-cleaning, with water droplets of different sizes
bouncing off them and taking dirt with them. This continued even
after the materials were scratched with a knife or scuffed with
sandpaper.
(Reporting by Kate Kelland; editing by Andrew Roche)
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