Scientists Discover New “Scratch & Heal” Paint Coating

Scientists, according to Reuters, have developed a polyurethane coating that heals its own scratches when exposed to sunlight, offering the promise of scratch-free cars and other products.

The self-healing coating uses chitosan, a substance found in the shells of crabs and shrimp. This is incorporated into traditional polymer materials, such as those used in coatings on cars to protect their paint. When a scratch damages the chemical structure, the chitosan responds to ultraviolet light by forming chemical chains that begin bonding with other materials in the substance, eventually smoothing out the scratch. The process can take less than an hour.

Marek Urban of the University of Southern Mississippi said, “The new coating uses readily available materials, offering an advantage over other self-repairing coatings, which he said were fairly elaborate and economically unfeasible.”

The only downside — the polymer can only repair itself in the same spot once, and would not work after repeated scratches.

Urban said the coating could be used in packaging or furniture or anything that requires a high-performance type of coating. (Farm equipment for instance, could perhaps look shinny and new for longer.) He said his team has patents pending on the material and is considering commercialization.