Researchers at the Ohio State University have developed a new coating texture for plastic bottles to make soap products flow freely from inside, while reducing waste.
The new patent-pending technology developed by researchers can create the perfect texture by lining a plastic bottle with microscopic y-shaped structures that cradle the droplets of soap aloft above tiny air pockets.
This, in turn, restricts the soap to touch the inside of the bottle.
Researchers developed the y structures using much smaller nanoparticles made of silica or quartz which when further treated won't stick to soap.
The development is a part of a project to create a shampoo bottle lining which is cheap, effective and environmentally friendly.
Researchers said that the structures are planted a few micrometers apart and the main branches of the 'y' overhang the plastic surface at an angle steep enough that water, oils and even surfactant can't physically sustain a droplet shape.
The soap droplets, thus, form beads and roll right off instead of spreading out on the surface.
The Ohio State University engineer Philip Brown said: "You end up with air pockets underneath, and that's what gives you liquid repellency."
The researchers expect to license the coating technique to manufacturers for even other plastic products.
The method has already been applied to polycarbonate, a plastic used in car headlights and smartphone cases, among other applications.
