Nanotech Self-Cleaning Glass
23rd January 2016
Scientists from University College London (UCL) have developed a high-tech glass intended for self-cleaning, energy-saving windows.
A team led by Dr Ioannis Papakonstantinou has coupled “pencil-like, conical nanostructures engraved onto the glass” with a photochromic 5-10 nanometre film of vanadium dioxide.
The nanostructures trap air and ensure “only a tiny amount of water comes into contact with the surface”. Accordingly, “rain hitting the outside forms spherical droplets that roll easily over the surface – picking up dirt, dust and other contaminants and carrying them away”.