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New Coating Technology Promises Self-Cleaning Cars
Zothecula writes "Nissan's "Scratch Guard Coat" has been healing fine scratches on the company's cars for a few years now, and the technology has also made its way into an iPhone case. More recent developments have produced coatings to heal more substantial scratches and scrapes using nano-capsules. Now researchers at The Netherlands' Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) have developed a coating that is not only self-healing, but also promises to free car owners of the tiresome chore of washing the car ."
I just leave it out in the middle of a rain storm and it comes out shiny and clean!
...scientists at Nissan have discovered what they now call "Teflon". Updates to follow.
Teflon's a epic fail outdoors because it has zilch creep strength and dirt embeds itself into it, rapidly reducing its friction and electrical properties to that of dirt. Thats one reason (aside from cost) that no one uses teflon insulators for power line or antenna supports.
For obvious economic reasons, the "solution" to the surface filth is going to be deployed on HVDC power line insulators long before it'll be on cars, and even then what works for a mostly motionless insulator might not work on a car.
This is because the nano-sized molecular groups that provide these properties are easily and irreversibly damaged by minor contact with the surface on which they are applied.
Hmm not thinking road gravel at 75 mph is "minor contact". Even road salt and dust is pretty tough stuff. And windshield washer fluid. Heck just a frog-drowning rainstorm at 75 mph is pretty harsh.
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
What about self-cleaning teenager rooms?
2-cycle gas leafblower. House stank of engine oil for days. Boy did I get in trouble. Still hear about that one at family get togethers.
What happens when on the way to work, you tell a wanna be, engine revving teenage engineer he can't go out until the cat and dog fur tumbleweeds are vacuumed up? It actually worked pretty well other than blowing some pictures off the walls and pretty well terrifying the cats and dog.
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
One might say this could be offered as an upgrade, but wow, that would make selling the cars a nightmare (none would be on the lot and would have to come straight from the factory)
Why is that a problem? MINI already manufactures most cars to order, from color to different interior options. People do not mind waiting a month for a car if they can more fully customize it.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Just program it up to drive to the car wash, drive through it, and drive back home.
If Google adds functionality enabling it to pick up stuff at fast food drive-ins, we're all set for life.
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
also promises to free car owners of the tiresome chore of washing the car
Having children is also another way to accomplish this, albeit at much greater cost. Once I (and my siblings) turned 10, my parents never washed a vehicle again (until we left the house).
"Dad, can I watch TV?"
"No. Now go wash the car."
Spray paint doesn't attract dust. Dust sticks to it before it dries. If you don't clear coat it afterwards, the rough texture will make dust stick to it a bit more easily as well.
And the paint matching problem is why a lot of off-road trucks are painted plain black with plain brush-on metal paint. To fix it, you just paint on more black and it all looks the same. It's a very practical coating but it looks dull and rough and won't attract the ladies.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
They coated the outside of the laptop with it, giving it a slightly rubbery/felt-like texture. Whereas regular plastic laptop lids picked up scratches from being slid in and out of cases, on the Thinkpad you could simply rub these scratches out. Dunno of Lenovo still uses it. I first learned of it when I complained to a friend that my Thinkpad had picked up a lot of scratches over the years. He told me about the coating, so I spent about 15 minutes rubbing and it looked nearly as good as new.
I mention this before the Apple fans start claiming Apple "pioneered" the use of such coatings in computers.