Giving the Car Its Finish Polish
Employee Wojciech Wisniewski gives a Rolls Royce Ghost its final finish polish at the Rolls Royce Motor Cars factory. REUTERS

A new kind of anti-stick coating called 'fluoropore' may be the material that could protect surfaces from dew drops, dust, paint and even oily substances. Droplets of water and oil do not adhere to these superhydrophobic polymers.

Lotus and cabbage plants have surfaces that naturally repel dew drops, but not oil. To have exteriors that are both water and oil-repellent, fluoropolymers are needed. These are chemically stable and heat resistant too. Dr.-Ing. Bastian Rapp of the KIT Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT) says, "When combining the chemical properties of fluoropolymers with the roughness of the lotus plant, surfaces are obtained, from which both water and oil droplets will roll off."

Rapp was successful in presenting his research project at the recent Nano Mat Future competition for young scientists launched by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). His project "Fluoropore - chemically inert, micro- to nanoporous 'teflon' with an adjustable wetting behavior" was granted 2.85 million euro funding in the next four years. Through this competition, the BMBF gives grants to qualified young scientists whose fundamental research projects in nanotechnology have high industrial implementation potential.

Rap leads the group of young KIT inventors, chemists, chemical engineers and experts in process technology to pursue the progress of this project.

Fluoropore can be used in the production of super-repellent coatings. With these, car exteriors can be protected from dust particles during the hot season or frost on window panes in winter. Street walls can also have a protective layer that could repel graffiti stains. Industrial equipment parts requiring protection from oil and water can also be enhanced. The practical use of this new universal coating is boundless.