Scratch-Proof Car?
By: RNS Newsroom Solutions
Updated: March 13, 2009
Imagine having a car that is essentially scratch-proof. Scientists at the University of Southern Mississippi have developed a new plastic coating that allows scratches on automobiles and other products to disappear when exposed to sunlight.
The polymeric material can make the scratches disappear in less than an hour in many cases.
USM researcher Marek Urban said they used chitosan in the coating, which is a substance found in the shells of shrimp and crabs.
The chitosan forms a new chemical chain when stratched and begins to bond with other compounds to cover the scratch.
One drawback is it will only work one time in the same spot, and tests have not yet been done on how wide a scratch would be self-repaired.
Patents on the material are pending and the researchers are looking into making it commercially available.
The study has been published in the journal "Science."
The polymeric material can make the scratches disappear in less than an hour in many cases.
USM researcher Marek Urban said they used chitosan in the coating, which is a substance found in the shells of shrimp and crabs.
The chitosan forms a new chemical chain when stratched and begins to bond with other compounds to cover the scratch.
One drawback is it will only work one time in the same spot, and tests have not yet been done on how wide a scratch would be self-repaired.
Patents on the material are pending and the researchers are looking into making it commercially available.
The study has been published in the journal "Science."
