New material to revolutionise water proofing

Scientists at The Australian National University (ANU) have developed a spray-on material with a remarkable ability to repel water. The protective coating could eventually be used to waterproof mobile phones, prevent ice from forming on aeroplanes or protect ships’ hulls from corroding.

"The surface is a layer of nanoparticles, which water slides off as if it’s on a hot barbecue”, said PhD student William Wong, from the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory at the ANU Research School of Engineering.

The team created a much more robust coating than previous materials by combining two plastics, one tough and one flexible.

"It’s like two interwoven fishing nets, made of different materials”, Mr Wong said.

The superhydrophobic coating is also transparent and extremely resistant to ultraviolet radiation. The key innovation is that it is able to stabilise very fragile nanomaterials resulting in ultra-durable nanotextures with numerous real-world applications.