Researchers in France have developed a long- lasting anti-fog that could get rid of fog on glass surfaces as a whole. According to the lead researcher on this team "the fog that forms on glasses is not a continuous film. In fact, it consists of tiny droplets of water that coalesce on the surface and reduce light transmission". The developers used polyvinyl alcohol in order to prevent these droplets from forming. Where most current anti-fog materials are easily washed away and must be re-applied, this new anti-fog would only need to be applied once and then would last for as long as the product to which it was applied. This product could be used to revolutionize the development of windows, glasses, and goggles. It would eliminate accidents that could be caused by fogged windshields or glasses.
See: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110316104117.htm
Posted by Katie Smith
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This is interesting... I've had problems with fogging goggles while skiing in the past and with glasses in humid conditions. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised it took this long to develop a permanent solution; fogging is definitely annoying/dangerous enough to warrant a good amount of research into preventing it.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it is hard to believe that researchers haven't come up with a solution to this problem sooner. Today when you buy a pair of glasses you can get anything from polarized lenses in sun glass to anti-scratch and anti-reflective lenses, it only makes sense to have anti-fog as well.
ReplyDeleteI question the practicality of anti-fog lenses. I understand that lots of individuals have problems with fogged up glasses but it seems like a bit of a trivial problem to solve. It would be interesting to see how the scientist use this technology for greater practical application. Personally, I think fogged up windshields are a bit more of a problem than fogged up glasses.
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