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MIT researchers have devised a coating method using common and inexpensive polymers that will prevent windows from fogging up or having ice form on them. The innovation could have applications for automobile windows, supermarket refrigerator cases, and some glass used in optics.
When designers want to prevent windows from fogging — which occurs when microscopic water droplets condense on a cold surface — they usually make the surface hydrophilic. This condition spreads the water evenly as if it were a sheet, says Michael Rubner, professor of polymer materials science and engineering at MIT.
That works fine when it’s not important if the view through the window is slightly distorted or if the temperature is above freezing, reports Engineering & Technology Magazine. But what if the glass needs to be distortion-free or should not freeze?
For those conditions to be met, the coating needs to have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic traits in the same material. The MIT team met those conditions by using a layer-by-layer deposition process, alternating between applying a coat of polyvinyl alcohol and then a coat of polyacrylic acid.
“The magic of what we do is nanoscale processing,” Rubner says. They researchers applied the layers almost molecule by molecule.
However, they say that the production process is relatively easy and inexpensive to carry out on a large scale. “These are common polymers,” Rubner says. “They’re well-known and cheap, but brought together in a unique way.”
To check on the quality of the layering process and whether the glass kept from fogging, the team devised several tests. Engineering & Technology Magazine explains what the researchers did:
They kept samples of the material at minus 20 degrees Celsius for an hour, then exposed them to a very humid environment. While untreated glass, or glass treated with conventional hydrophilic or hydrophobic coatings, quickly develops a layer of frost following such treatment, glass with the new treatment remains clear.
The innovation does have one drawback, though: the coating is incredibly thin. So it is vulnerable to aggressive cleaning or when the glass must constantly rub against another material. Therefore, it may not be best suited for applications that require constant wiping or be used in harsh environments.
And the coating works best to prevent small amounts of frost. The layering wouldn’t work well as a de-icer on airplane wings. But it could be perfect for the inner surface of double-pain windows, preventing fog from forming even if a small leak allows water into the sealed space.
Other researchers praised the innovation. “The MIT group has devised a practical and effective method of combating the fogging problem using a new ultra-thin polymer film,” says Joseph Schlenoff, polymer science professor at Florida State University. “Both the materials themselves and the techniques used to explore their properties are highly innovative. These MIT engineers are literally helping us to see technology more clearly.”
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