Researchers develop self-repairing paint powered by the sun
In another case of Nature to the Rescue, scientists have come up with a polyurethane coating that repairs itself in the sun. The secret ingredient: chitosan, which comes from the shells of crustaceans and is also used for water filtration, blood clotting and as a diet aid. The common principle appears to be that it as a binding agent, i.e. it wants to hold certain things together.If your car is scratched and it has the chitosan-injected coating, when put in the sun the chitosan "bonds with other materials in the substance, eventually smoothing the scratch" in less than an hour. No muss, no fuss, no messy clean up. However, the magic only works once -- the coating can't repair itself in the same place twice. Researchers also haven't yet studied how wide a scratch can be before it cannot heal itself.
Nevertheless, self-repairing paint powered by the sun is still a terrific development, especially for those folks with shiny black cars on which even tiny scratches seem to scream for attention. No word on when or if it will ever be available, but the team behind it has a patent pending and is thinking about the business opportunity. Thanks for the tip, everyone!
[Source: Reuters]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2004m3driver 6:03PM (3/13/2009)
I wish scientist could just eliminate all the morons who think it is funny to key some ones car.
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superman211 10:35PM (3/13/2009)
Or make the car burns them for fuel that leaves a positive impact on our planet.
konatown 6:13PM (3/13/2009)
Isn't this already available on certain Nissan and Infiniti models?
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Tecmec 6:13PM (3/13/2009)
According to the article I read, they did not say it wont work in the same place twice, they just said they don't yet know what will happen in such a situation.
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M-Power 6:17PM (3/13/2009)
Infiniti already has it on the their new 2009 models.
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Mel. R 6:17PM (3/13/2009)
Now if only they extended this technology to creating self- repairing tarmac...
@konatown- To my knowledge, the Infiniti G37 and (I think) the GT-R are cars that have this paint, but from what I've heard, it doesn't work as well on some colors as it does on others.
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Lee 6:42PM (3/13/2009)
They all have it.
autObsessions 7:14PM (3/13/2009)
I own an Auto Detailing business and have seen many of these cars come in with.....you guessed it....scratches!! The idea is novel but the execution is still lacking. Some customers claim they've seen tiny scratches disappear, however the paint is not immune from swirling and micro-marring and is actually MUCH softer than any paint on the market (Meaning it marrs and swirls MUCH easier).
While they may have a bit of scratch healing power, that benefit is quickly washed away by the increased swirling and marring induced by car washes and improper washing...not to mention the paint is a bear to correct.
Marc-O 6:25PM (3/13/2009)
Indeed, like others have said, at least the EX35 has had self-healing paint from the beginning. I was pretty surprised to read "no word on when or if it will ever be available" and that this would be such a novel concept to the poster...
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RedBeauty84ZX 6:30PM (3/13/2009)
Infiniti already uses this technology and I believe the Nissan GTR and new 370Z have it as well..
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Javanese 6:38PM (3/13/2009)
Some ego maniacal scientist are completely oblivious on what their colleague have already achieved 5 years ago.
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Nick 6:44PM (3/13/2009)
poor 996 Turbo in the picture :(
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BoxerFanatic 4:10PM (3/14/2009)
Indeed. A lapis blue porsche being keyed is an offense worth beating the culprit for.
inteller 7:59PM (3/13/2009)
several scratches have healed on my EX35. It doesn't work in cold climates.
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kevin 8:38PM (3/13/2009)
machines that can heal themselves?
The End Begins.
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Dan 9:13PM (3/13/2009)
And if you leave the car dirty in the sun, the dirt becomes permanently bonded
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tankd0g 1:10PM (3/14/2009)
We already have that, it's called asphalt rocker guard :)
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Level 5 3:49PM (3/14/2009)
This stuff is made from sea life shells? Great, another reason for PETA to start burning down dealership stock.
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Velo 4:44AM (3/16/2009)
I feel bad for the guy who owns that porche.
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JayDeeM 3:42AM (3/17/2009)
Infiniti / Nissan has a special coat called "Scratch Shield Paint" which is available on EX, FX, GT-R & 370Z. It's a special layer of clear coat that gets softened by sunlight (Heat) and basically smoothes out the scratch, but ONLY in "Clear Coat" level, I think it took care of the swirl marks pretty well. It's a pretty neat paint, though manufacture says they don't recommend frequent "Detailing" for they're not sure of how long the coat will last.
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