Self-cleaning

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.

Fraunhofer researchers are developing UV light-activated self-cleaning coatings that destroy organic substances attaching themselves to various surfaces.

Last week that giant multinational of aluminum production Alcoa announced its new "smog-eating" architectural panels: cladding stuck to a building's exterior that can remove pollutants from the surrounding air.

MIT has developed nanotextures for glass surfaces which render glass invisible, non-glare, fogless, and self-cleaning - perfect for diving masks and windows in cars and buuildings.

Researchers have developed a coating for fabric, that could be used to clean clothing simply by exposing it to sunlight.

Scientists have created an inexpensive, robust, liquid-repellent surface material, inspired by the inner surface of the pitcher plant.

Self-dusting solar panels that are cleaned by an electric charge provided by the solar panels themselves could help improve efficiency and reduce maintenance costs at solar power plants.

By reproducing the shape and patterns of the minute hairs that grow on the bodies of spiders researchers have created an ultra-water-repellent surface.

The Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) proposes a simple, cost-effective, easily constructed skin that promises to transform dated structures into sustainable and stunning buildings.

Researchers have discovered a new nanomaterial that can repel dust and water and also acts as a super-capacitor, thereby offering implications for self-cleaning windows and solar panels as well as electric cars.

Using an ultra high-speed camera, a powerful microscope and an audio speaker, scientists have been able to observe water as it condensed on the lotus leaf's surface, and more importantly, how the water condensate disappeared.