Research report 2012 - Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research

Glass that cleans itself – superamphiphobic coatings

Authors
Vollmer, Doris
Departments

Physik der Grenzflächen

Summary
Glasses, windscreens and windows have one thing in common: They become dirty. In the field of photovoltaic we are fighting against dirt adhering to solar cells as well. Meanwhile, there are coatings on which water drops hardly adhere. However, this does not apply to organic liquids. Coatings are rather seldom repelling oils, water, soapy and protein solutions at the same time. Not only oils but red wine would roll off these surfaces without leaving stains. An almost fractal structure consisting of silica spheres unveils new opportunities in this area.

For the full text, see the German version.

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