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 Understanding Public Debate on Nanotechnologies: Options for Framing Public Policy -- The Innovation Society (2/8/2010) The Governance and Ethics Unit of the Directorate General for Research (DG Research) of the European Commission (EC) has published an overview paper on options for framing public policy on nanotechnologies. [More] UN Patent Filings Dropped for 1st Time Since 1978 -- ABC news (2/8/2010) The United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), an entity through which a company can, for a fee, file a request for patent protection in any or all of the 142 countries that have subscribed to the U.N.'s Patent Cooperation Treaty, reported that the number of international patent filings dropped last year for the first time since 1978. [More] TECHNOLOGY: Science Panel Probes Renewable Energy's Current Use of China's Rare Metals -- Environment & Energy Daily (2/8/2010) A United States House of Representatives Science and Technology subcommittee this week will hold a hearing on rare earth mineral production and the resource's role in the growing clean energy industry. [More] Nanofood for Thought -- Nature Nanotechnology (2/5/2010) This editorial, in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, is in response to the recent report, "Nanotechnologies and Food", released in January by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, United Kingdom, that criticized the food industry for failing to be transparent about its research into the uses of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials. [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.