{"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

Curtin University 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 Curtin University\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":"

Curtin University 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}]}}