From Contradictory Polymers, Scientists Develop Nanocoatings with Optimal Properties for Optics

Materials scientists at Kiel University in Germany have synthesized nanoscale gradient copolymers, that possess distinct contradictory properties, to create thin-film polymer coatings that could be used to coat sensor devices and MEMS technology. The material coatings could also be applied to aircraft and glass fronts, making the surfaces of those objects easier to “de-ice.” Additional applications for the thin-film polymer coatings exist with molecular machines that transfer mechanical processes to the nanoscale. A material’s contrasting properties (for example, simultaneously hard and soft) are useful in developing gradual antireflective lenses. In nature, these appear in the human eye, as well as in mussels...