High Performance Thin Film by Wet Process Nano Coating
The surface of lotus leaves has an uneven structure, which creates a layer
of air that repels water. When Seimei Shiratori was a student, he thought this
structure could be applied in daily life. So Shiratori started observing the
nanoworld.
By making these thin films, we are trying to produce surfaces that are repellent
or ultra-repellent to water and oil.
By applying technology obtained from nature, its possible to create lotus-leaf
surfaces artificially. This technology has already been patented in Japan, under
the name Air Coat. Hats, wood, and even newspaper can be made waterproof by
spraying Air Coat onto them. In fact, Air Coat is so water-repellent, it even
enables a mesh ladle to scoop up water. This ultra-repellence works not only
on water, but also on olive oil and synthetic oil.
Air Coat can be used to coat any kind of material, so it can be used for car
windows, or posters displayed outside. Also, this ultra-repellent coating technology
is friendly to the environment. It can be used to make materials that dont get
dirty easily, and to prevent deterioration. In addition, the Shiratori Lab is
doing research using special solutions to coat plastics with transparent, conductive
thin films.
Run time: 3.53 mins