For many, automatic car washes provide a quick and easy clean, albeit not always a thorough one. There’s no real substitute for taking the time to hand wash your vehicle. Until now, that is.
A team of researchers working out of The Netherlands’ Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) have come up with a new coating that is self-healing (Nissan offers a similar paint) but, and this is different from any other automotive paint technology out there, it’s also able to self-wash your vehicle.
The University’s department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry state that their new highly water-resistant coating technology would allow surface blemishes to self-heal and, more importantly, let water seamlessly roll of the surface, taking any dirt with it that it picks up in the process. In theory, this means that the occasional rainy day would be adequate enough to leave your car looking clean and spotless.
This all sounds great, but are there any drawbacks? Well, according to the researchers, the new technology only works with surface marks because they haven’t completely infiltrated the coating.
With the possibility that this advanced paint could also be used on solar panels, aircraft, cell phone displays and even contact lenses, the development team is excited for the product’s future and plan to meet with other collaborators and corporate partners to continue to ready the technology for widespread use.
AUG
