We’ve all experienced it: steaming hot coffee on a cold day, a snowmobile ride through chilly air, or just a little bit of humidity. All of these can cause our glasses to fog up and be a huge hindrance to our vision, but what if there was a way to avoid having to wipe them down every five minutes? Thanks to a team of researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST in Braunschweig, Germany, that dream may soon become a reality.
The scientists have developed a coating made from a thin layer of gold that prevents lenses from fogging up. The gold layer is so thin it is invisible to the human eye, but works its magic in the background by reducing water droplets on the glasses’ surface to a minimum.
The gold works by utilizing capillary forces, which is a scientific concept associated with the attraction between molecules and their environment. In this case, the capillary force helps spread the water evenly across the surface. As the researchers explain, “the effect is that the water-repellent layer distributes the water molecules exactly so that there is a homogeneous layer of water on the surface without any fogging.”
The team is currently exploring how the gold coating can be applied on a larger scale, allowing manufacturers to use it in the production of glasses, but it could also be used on other surfaces. They are even exploring how the technology could be used on a smaller scale to protect surfaces such as mirrors and contact lenses.
The researchers’ gold coating is a breakthrough for eyewear-wearers, as fogging glasses have been an annoyance to many. The gold coating works by spreading the water molecules evenly, thus creating an invisible layer that makes fogging glasses a thing of the past. In the future, the technology could make its way into production lines, allowing us to enjoy the fog-free benefits that come with gold-coated glasses.
