AUTONEWS

South Korean engineers special coating that automatically removes scratches from the vehicle body

Engineers in South Korea have created a new material that automatically removes scratches from the body without the participation of workshops and polishers. According to New Atlas, an acrylic polyol-based clear coat "heals" damage through a chemical reaction under the influence of infrared rays. So, all it takes to return the car to its commercial condition is to leave it for 30 minutes in the sun.

“Our technology synthesizes self-healing coatings using inexpensive commercial polymeric materials and photothermal dyes. It will be widely used not only in automotive clearcoats, but in other areas as well,” said study leader Dr. Jin Chul Kim.

The coating created by the chemists consists of a polymer mesh, which includes acrylic polyol and a special structure. This network creates a dynamic chemical bond that breaks down under the influence of external stimuli, but restores its original state with the help of heat. In the work of this material, the sun's rays play the role of a trigger - an organic photothermal polymer captures light, independently "healing" the damaged areas.

To demonstrate the technology's capabilities, the scientists applied its coating to a laboratory vehicle using a polymer spray. The perpetrators then damaged the car and took it out into the sunlight. After 30 minutes outside, the scratches completely disappeared and the surface was equally smooth.

The scientists explained that when sunlight is absorbed by the new material, the surface temperature increases as the light energy is converted into heat. An increase in temperature allows the restoration of surface scratches due to the dissociation and recombination of chemical bonds in the polymer structure. This effect is artificially stimulated with the help of resin and urea, which are easily affected by infrared rays.

According to the developers, in the future, the new material could be used both to protect cars and for other devices, such as electronics or building materials. In this case, smartphones, laptops and tablets can be easily restored from scratches that appeared on them with the help of a short “sunbath”.

Mundoquatrorodas