{"id":27506,"date":"2025-02-27T09:38:46","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T01:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=media-release&p=27506"},"modified":"2025-02-27T09:38:52","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T01:38:52","slug":"a-clear-game-changer-curtins-water-repellent-glass-breaks-new-ground","status":"publish","type":"media-release","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/media-release\/a-clear-game-changer-curtins-water-repellent-glass-breaks-new-ground\/","title":{"rendered":"A clear game-changer: Curtin\u2019s water-repellent glass breaks new ground"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Â鶹ֱ²¥ researchers have developed a new technique to make glass water-repellent, a feature that could improve safety in vehicles, reduce cleaning costs for buildings and enhance filtration systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research, published in the prestigious journal Advanced Functional Materials<\/em>, shows how an innovative and non-toxic process using ultrasonic sound waves can alter the surface of glass, making it either hydrophobic (water resistant) or electrically charged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lead researcher Associate Professor Nadim Darwish<\/a>, an ARC Future Fellow at Curtin\u2019s School of Molecular and Life Sciences (MLS), explained that the process uses ultrasound to trigger a chemical reaction that permanently alters the surface of glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe sound waves create microscopic bubbles in a diazonium salt solution, which then collapse rapidly creating tiny bursts of heat and pressure,\u201d Associate Professor Darwish said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis triggers a reaction that forms a stable, organic layer to the glass, making it either permanently water-repellent or positively charged, depending on the type of diazonium salt used. Unlike conventional coatings, that wear off over time, our method creates a chemical bond at the molecular level, making it far more durable and environmentally friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Study co-author Dr Tiexin Li, a Research Associate at Curtin\u2019s School of MLS, said the ability to modify glass surfaces in a simple and sustainable way has far-reaching implications across multiple industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGlass is used everywhere\u2014from cars and buildings to industrial filters\u2014but its natural tendency to attract water limits its performance,\u201d Dr Li said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnlike traditional coatings this film won\u2019t peel off, dissolve in water or deteriorate so it\u2019s ideal for real-world applications where reliability and durability are key. This could mean clearer windshields in heavy rain, self-cleaning skyscraper windows and solar panels that stay dust-free.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Co-author Zane Datson, also from Curtin\u2019s School of MLS, highlighted another unexpected benefit\u2014the ability of the modified glass to attract bacteria, fungi and algae.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is very exciting as we can tailor glass properties for specific uses including in advanced filtration systems and biofuel production,\u201d Mr Datson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor example, the coated glass can help bind yeast in brewing, capture bacteria in wastewater filtration systems or act as a chemical barrier to microorganisms in air filters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research team is now seeking industry partners to test and scale up the technology, particularly in the automotive, construction and environmental sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This research was supported by the Australian Research Council and highlights Â鶹ֱ²¥\u2019s leadership in materials science innovation. It was conducted in collaboration with The University of Queensland, Flinders University, The University of Western Australia and Charles Sturt University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The full paper titled, \u2018Sonochemical Functionalization of Glass<\/em>,\u2019 can be found online here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Â鶹ֱ²¥ researchers have developed a new technique to make glass water-repellent, a feature that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4454,"featured_media":27515,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_research-areas":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[110,4,284],"tags":[1155,306,211,226],"research-areas":[],"class_list":["post-27506","media-release","type-media-release","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chemistry","category-research","category-science-and-engineering","tag-chemistry","tag-innovation","tag-research","tag-science"],"acf":{"experts":false,"post_options":{"":null,"additional_content":{"title":"","content":"","image":false},"related_courses":[{"title":"","qualification":"","link":"","description":"","faculty":""}],"credits":{"author":"","photographer":"","media":[24383,24387]},"display_author":true,"banner":{"image":false}}},"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/glass-1000x500.jpg","author_meta":{"display_name":"294101E"},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release\/27506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/media-release"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release\/27506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27506"},{"taxonomy":"research-areas","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-areas?post=27506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}