Scientists Develop Self-Cleaning Material

Summary posted by Meridian on 8/18/2009
Source: AZoNano
Author: n/a

Scientists at Purdue University, United States, have developed a new coating for glass, plastics, and a range of other materials, that would allow consumers to clean oily smears from these products with plain water. Jeffrey Youngblood, Ph.D., the project's lead researcher, says "[Y]ou add water, and the oil just comes right off like magic. These are eco-friendly coatings - environmentally 'green' in the sense that they eliminate the need for harsh detergents and solvents in settings ranging from home kitchens to industrial machine shops that must contend with heavy oil spills." The coatings would reduce the need for detergents containing phosphates, which wash into lakes and streams, stimulating the growth of algae, and reducing water quality. These self-cleaning coatings are made of nanoscale polymers in two layers. The bottom layer is polyethylene glycol, which attracts water, and the upper layer is a Teflon-like molecule that prevents the passage of oil, resulting in a surface that holds a film of water while repelling oil. Youngblood expects that the self-cleaning plastics will be commercially available within a few years. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

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our team contact us site map	Scientists Develop Self-Cleaning Material Summary posted by Meridian on 8/18/2009 Source: AZoNano Author: n/a Scientists at Purdue University, United States, have developed a new coating for glass, plastics, and a range of other materials, that would allow consumers to clean oily smears from these products with plain water. Jeffrey Youngblood, Ph.D., the project's lead researcher, says "[Y]ou add water, and the oil just comes right off like magic. These are eco-friendly coatings - environmentally 'green' in the sense that they eliminate the need for harsh detergents and solvents in settings ranging from home kitchens to industrial machine shops that must contend with heavy oil spills." The coatings would reduce the need for detergents containing phosphates, which wash into lakes and streams, stimulating the growth of algae, and reducing water quality. These self-cleaning coatings are made of nanoscale polymers in two layers. The bottom layer is polyethylene glycol, which attracts water, and the upper layer is a Teflon-like molecule that prevents the passage of oil, resulting in a surface that holds a film of water while repelling oil. Youngblood expects that the self-cleaning plastics will be commercially available within a few years. The article can be viewed online at the link below. The original article may still be available at www.azonano.com/news.asp?newsID=13153 As tagged by Meridian Institute: Implications: Human Enhancement, Economic Competitiveness Materials And Manufacturing: Plastics, Materials Nanomaterials: Naturally Occurring Regions: North America Stakeholders: Academia Water And Sanitation: Quality Minerals And Metals: Minerals Environment: Green Nanotechnology Related Forums: Materials and Manufacturing Water and Sanitation Metals and Minerals Environment Economic Competitiveness print format	NDN Home Subscribe Manage Subscription Search News Archives Nanotechnology Quintuples Heating Capacity of Solar Water Heaters -- Renewable Energy Magazine (9/1/2010) Researchers at the University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil, have developed a solar heating system that uses nanotechnology to heat water to five times the temperature of a conventional system, while also permitting the collector surface area to retain up to 98 percent of heat from solar radiation. [More] Pakistan's Science Minister Attacks Funding Cuts -- SciDev.Net (9/1/2010) The Pakistan government has cuts its funds for the Pakistan Ministry of Science and Technology's 2010-2011 budget by almost half, causing the science minister, Muhammad Azam Khan Swati, to criticize his own government. [More] Nanotechnology: Small wonders -- Nature (9/1/2010) This article takes an in-depth look at the United States National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)'s first 10 years - to find out where the money went and what the initiative plans to do next. [More] Nanotech on Farmers' Fields -- Silicon Nutrition (8/31/2010) A plant nutrition study that addresses nano-sized plant nutrients is now available from the Landbouwkundige Uitgeverij G.C. van den Berg (Veenendaal, The Netherlands). [More] More News... Learn how to include these headlines on your own website by clicking here. Please email us if you require text-only versions of the daily emails.