1
NEWS
Self-cleaning bikes?
The time-honoured practice of washing your bike may become a thing of the past, thanks to a new high-tech coating being developed in the NetherlandsThe ritual of taking to a car or motorcycle with a sponge and a bucket of soapy water may become a thing of the past, thanks to a new coating being developed by researchers at a Dutch university.
Lead by Catarina Esteves, a team of chemical engineers at Eindhoven's University of Technology has developed a high-tech coating that has the ability to self-repair minor scratches and self-clean. According to Esteves, because the coating is highly water resistant any water droplets the surface is exposed to will simply roll right off, taking dirt with them -- all it will take to keep a car or motorcycle spic and span is the occasional rain shower.
While high-tech coatings with special properties are nothing new, Esteves says the nano-sized molecular groups at their surface that provide these properties are easily damaged. This new coating, however, sees such molecular groups attached with 'stalks' to the underlying layer, allowing the molecules to re-orient themselves after minor damage, thereby retaining their properties.
Obviously this development is of greater significance than simply getting out of washing the car or bike -- Esteves says its potential applications range from contact lenses that self-repair scratches, to aircraft that remain clean and therefore have less air resistance and maintain better fuel economy. Such a coating will also supress the formation of algae, which will be of particular interest to the shipping and boating industries.
Esteves says her team of researchers will now develop their findings with those of other universities in collaboration with industrial partners. She expects the first commercially viable coatings to be available within six to eight years.
Read the latest Bikesales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the Bikesales Network's mobile site. Or download the all-new App.
Tags
Share this article
Written byBikesales Staff
See all articlesStay up to dateBecome a bikesales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.
Subscribe todayDisclaimer
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Love every move.
Buy it. Sell it.Love it.
®Contact
Advertise with us
Local marketplaces
International marketplaces
Consent
Download the bikesales app
