The many layers form a porous stack that absorbs water before it can form droplets on the surface.
By pulling droplets into its matrix, the coating prevents light from scattering. It works well even after a year of storage in the dark, Rubner reported.
Glaring Improvement
Such coatings hold promise beyond preventing fog, according to Paula T. Hammond, an MIT materials scientist who was not involved in the research.
A water-absorbent coating could be used as a primer on usually impermeable surfaces, allowing them to absorb such substances as ink, for example.
Hammond added that "it might make it easier to apply things like flexible electronics on plastic surfaces."
Rubner already has multiple uses in mind for his glass-treatment technique. In addition to its extreme absorbency, the coating reflects less light than the surface of untreated glass, thereby reducing glare and letting more light through.
That suggests it could enhance the light-capturing capabilities of camera lenses and solar-powered voltaic cells, Rubner said. When part of a sheet of glass is surfaced with the new coating, it becomes remarkably transparent, he noted. "The half that's not coated actually looks dirty."
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