Several years ago I read articles such as this one and thought the idea of a ‘self-cleaning’ shower tile was a cool concept. Now I understand that it’s not really self cleaning, but rather a nano material that would bond with the tile and make it so that water and soap residue wouldn’t bond to the tile. And yet here we are 6 years later and I can’t really find any of these tiles. I’ve found this stuff which is supposed to be a ‘do-it-yourself’ method of applying a coating that would make tiles and windows repell water. But I can’t find any reviews or actual testimonies from anyone that has used anything like this.
So I turn to the all-knowing dopers. Any products out there that have this nano-material coating that work better for showers? Or anything I can apply myself to get the same effect? Or do I just keep waiting?
Thanks!
I think the type of material you are talking about is a superhydrophobic nanocomposite based on cassies law. In this case, the composite is basically air and some other hydrophobic material. Contact angles very near 180˚ can be achieved. I have no idea how close they are to making these materials large scale. I’m sure you’ll pay for it.
It seems that Eddie Bauer is already selling stain resistant clothes with this technology. Processing may be more complicated for ceramics. Maybe these coatings are not very scratch resistant so it is better to sell it as a sealant that can be reapplied regularly rather than to make a tile that loses it’s properties over a short period.
I’m not sure how applicable it is for your shower but there is Lotusan paint which I read about years ago but is apparently semi-new on the market
http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/18/paint_inspired_by_a_lotus_flower/
google “Lotusan” for more