C-Bond Systems, a nanotechnology solutions company, announced that it has successfully completed a joint development project with the Energy Safety Research Institute (“ESRI”) at Swansea University in the United Kingdom and filed a provisional patent for a new super-hydrophobic (water-repellent). The Company plans to use the new super-hydrophobic in conjunction with its C-Bond nanoShield™ windshield strengthener.
A hydrophobic is a coating that is applied (usually spray-on) to an automotive windshield to give it water repellent properties. This facilitates water run-off and gives drivers increased visibility while driving in the rain or snow. Some examples of commercially available hydrophobics include Rain-X®, Aquapel®, and Diamon-Fusion®.
Development was led by Professor Andrew Barron, the founder and director of the ESRI at Swansea University and the Sêr Cymru Chair of Low Carbon Energy and Environment, and C-Bond’s engineering team. Prof. Barron is a world-renowned chemistry and nanotechnology expert who joined C-Bond’s Science Advisory Board in 2019.
“According to our data, the new hydrophobic we developed and tested is superior to any hydrophobic that is currently commercially available,” stated Prof. Barron. “Not only does it perform better than the current hydrophobic used with C-Bond nanoShield, but it is also less expensive than other leading windshield water repellent products on the market. We believe there will be significant interest for this product in the automotive industry.”
The provisional patent filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office provides for, among other things, a water repellent composition for forming an optically clear, water repellent film on a clear or translucent glass substrate. In other words, the provisional patent describes a treatment for coating a windshield of a vehicle to render the windshield water repellent. The invention can also be applied to architectural windows, mirror glass plates, and solar panels.