New Anti Scratch Layer Technologies

A futuristic new materials that use sunlight to repair scratches on the surface has been developed by researchers in the United States. This material has the potential to create layers that automatically repair to the car or electronic device - so that the goods is still visible like a new, even though long-used.

Boswajit Ghosh and Urban brand of the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg modify polyurethane, a polymer hard and durable that commonly used to make Protective layers, by adding a compound called chitosan who substitute-oxytone. This compound is derived from chitin, a natural polymer found in the general nature as a component of preparing the body shell structure crustacea such as crabs.

This approach works because each polymer on the physical damage, such as deep scratches, the damage to the molecular level - with a ring oxytone polymer. If included in the kind of polyurethane, chitosan chains split into two part reactive free radicals under UV rays - the chains can react with the ring oxytone open, form a polymer bonds rift between new and effectively "filled" (sew) the scratches occurred. This team shows that the scratches sheet of hair size - about 10 micrometer thicks - can be "sewed" perfect under UV light rays in about 30 minutes. However, they do not investigate a more complex damage or scratches more depth.

* scratches strand of hair size, repaired in 30 minutes*

"This is the first time we see a layer polyurethane the own repairing - which it certainly has a lot of commercial benefits," said Nancy Sottos at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, is working to develop systems that own repairing.

The potential application of this new technology is in the automotive industry, which often paint a car is designed with a high scratch resistance to prevent damage from small objects such as stones. Because this new material using the reaction cross-fastening polymer that is not affected by humidity, have the potential to make a "clean sheet" Protective, Sottos said, but still needed time before this can be achieved.

"Like all other new technology, this material must undergo rigorous testing to show that the material is resistant to a similar environment where the standards of automotive paint to use," said Sottos. 'For example, one problem is how well this material to function on the hot weather in Arizona or Australia, where the effect fastening cross akan permanently activated by the high level UV. Other industries may also be interested in this technology, further development and we submit to the designer who berkompeten, Sottos said. One of the potential market for this technology is the electronic industry, such as tools, tools mobile phone and music player is prone to scratches.