A new paint created by researchers at University College London can be applied to clothes, paper, glass and steal to create self-cleaning surfaces.
The paint, when combined with adhesives, can even maintain its self-cleaning properties after being damaged, scratched or exposed to oil, meaning it can withstand normal wear and tear.
"Being waterproof allows materials to self-clean as water forms marble-shaped droplets that roll over the surface, acting like miniature vacuum cleaners picking up dirt, viruses and bacteria along the way," said Yao Lu, a researcher and first author of a study of the paint published in Science.
The study shows that the paint, which is made from titanium dioxide nanoparticles, can be applied to a variety of surfaces and give them self-cleaning properties even after they were damaged or submerged in oil.
"The biggest challenge for the widespread application of self-cleaning surfaces is finding a way to make them tough enough to withstand everyday damage," said study co-author Claire Carmalt, a professor of inorganic chemistry at UCL Chemistry. "The surfaces tend to be mechanically weak and so rub off easily, but by pairing our paint with different adhesives, we've shown it is possible to make a robust self-cleaning surface. We used materials that are readily available so our methods can be scaled-up for industrial applications."