Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, have discovered a new way to analyze how coatings of tiny particles alter the properties of transparent plastic. The finding could help create lightweight windows with nearly the strength of glass, or could lead to high-strength, scratch-resistant coatings that could be applied to many different materials. A polymer called poly(methyl methacrylate), or PMMA, which is widely used as a glass substitute, was used in the analysis. The MIT analysis looked at the particle-polymer interactions of such coatings at the nanoscale, and the resulting data allowed the team to figure out the optimal coating materials and particle densities for strengthening the polymer surface. Meng Qu, a post doctorate in MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, said the work could lead to spray-on scratch-resistant coatings for everything from cars to cellphones. “Any surface that needs coating” is potentially a candidate for such a treatment, she said. “We demonstrated that putting a small amount of particles on the surface increases the stiffness.” The team’s work was reported in the journal Soft Matter.
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/scratch-resistance-0817.html