Canadian researchers develop first permanent anti-fog coating for glass

Canadian researchers have announced the development of the first permanent anti-fog treatment that might be applied in the future to car windshields.
Led by Professor Gatean Laroche, Laval University researchers published their findings in the journal Applied Materials and Interfaces.
The fog-proof coating has not been tested on vehicles.
“Despite the development of several anti-fog coating strategies, the long-term stability, adherence to the underlying substrate, and resistance to cleaning procedures are not yet optimal,” the researchers say in their findings. “We report on a polymer-based anti-fog coating covalently grafted onto glass surfaces by means of a multi-step process.”
Basically, the multi-step process involves the combination of the compounds of polyethylene-maleic anhydride (PEMA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), which help bind anti-fog properties to glass.
“Results show that the PEMA/PVA coating not only delayed the initial period required for fog formation but also decreased the rate of light transmission decay,” the researchers say. “Finally, following a 24 hour immersion in water, these PEMA/PVA coatings remained stable and preserved their anti-fog properties.”