Electrically conductive coating uses nanotechnology to heat the windshield across its entire surface with no wires to obstruct the view

Transparent coatings

Fogged-up windshields will soon be a thing of the past: A new lacquer will ensure better visibility in tomorrow's cars. The electrically conductive coating uses nanotechnology to heat the windshield across its entire surface with no wires to obstruct the view. On cold winter mornings, a driver's vision is often blurred by moisture precipitating on the inside of the windshield. This happens when warm, humid air comes into contact with a cold surface. Condensation can be prevented by increasing the volume of air (opening the windows), by heating the whole of the vehicle's interior, or by heating at least the windshield to a temperature above the dew point. Ivica Kolaric of the Fraunhofer Technology Development Group TEG in Stuttgart favors the third option. His new process warms up the windscreen though not with costly copper heating elements, but instead with a transparent coat of carbon lacquer, or more exactly carbon nano tubes (CNT). When attached to an electricity supply, the lacquer coating is transformed into a wide, flat heater which exactly covers the surface to be heated and continues to function even when it is damaged in places.

Source: fraunhofer.deAdded: 5 October 2009