Scientists from Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have created a surface coating for steel that not only repels corrosion but also makes the metal stronger. Aizenberg and her team developed a new surface coating made from rough, nanoporous tungsten oxide. It was found to be the most durable, anti-corrosive and anti-fouling coating material to date, tried and tested to resist rust and repel any kind of liquid even after the coated metal has sustained considerable structural damage.
The coating not only withstood various tests, including but not limited to anti-wetting, diamond-tipped scribers and scratching using stainless steel, but was also found to make steel stronger compared to the uncoated ones. The team made this possible by making an ultrathin film of thousands of small tungsten oxide islands to directly coat the steel surface. If one part of one island is destroyed, the damage does not spread to the other islands due to the lack of connection among them. This helps the coating retain its repelling properties while helping the steel improve its durability.
The coating material had potential to be used on different industrial and commercial applications like non-fouling medical devices and tools, 3-D printers, large scale use on buildings and on marine vessels or vehicles. The beneficial properties the coating provided could save industries millions in production and maintenance costs.