Those clever guys in Australia have been at it again. A paper we released on their new wonder material that claims to be as good as impervious to water. William Wong from the Australian National University who is also part of the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory at ANU was quoted by ibtimes to say, “which water slides off as if it’s on a hot barbecue”.
There are already super hydrophobic sprays available on the market but unfortunately these are prone to wearing off after a while.
The researchers behind this seemingly miraculous substance claim that this will be stronger and much less prone to wear.
The material combines two different plastics; one very flexible and the other tough. Mr Wong explained it by saying, “It’s like two interwoven fishing nets, made of different materials.”
The methods used in production are both cheaper and will be resistant to UV radiation, so your bright shiny sports car will remain the same colour and not become a little washed out over time. Ultimately, the dream, is a spray you can buy, and, with one application to your device, will render it waterproof. Any phone with sockets like earphones for example would just need rubber plugs.
This would mean no more washing your car, no more washing windows etc. Ideally the material should be produced from recycled plastic which would not only revolutionise material usage but also be great for the environment.
Unfortunately we are no scientists here at Gadgethelpline and can only report on what comes to be, but the future is definitely looking a little brighter as less materials would be used due to many devices lasting much longer without the hazard of moisture damage.
Not only this, the team at ANU are also working on anti-corrosion, oil-repellant and self-cleaning.
Nano Nano Mork!
Original paper submission here