A stain-resistant coating patented by UF researchers will be on the market in about six months.
Researchers developed the coating, which repels water, oil and other contaminants, in 2012, said Wolfgang Sigmund, a professor in UF’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
The coating can be sprayed or painted onto different surfaces, including glass, metal and plastic, he said. After being added to an object, it becomes stainproof and waterproof.
The coating borrows from an effect found on the lotus plant, in which water collects in beads on the leaves, Sigmund said. The leaf is textured with small bumps and wax on its surface, causing water droplets to simply roll off.
“We mimicked nature, and we mimicked plants,” he said.
Sigmund said the coating could last for years and can be made in a variety of dull, non-reflective colors.
In the future, he hopes to make the coating in reflective colors for the automobile industry, because these colors keep cars cool by reflecting sunlight.
Sigmund said he developed the product with graduate and undergraduate students.
Yung-Chieh Hung, a UF graduate student studying superhydrophobic materials, said developing a physical product for the private sector was a new experience for him.
“You try to persuade people you can build a product for them,” the 27-year-old said. “If they don’t see anything, they give up.”
