Whoa! fog-proof glass!!!
- Thread starter Kaiser442
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
crpntr133
lost, even with a compass
Would be intersting to see what happened after the first time you flooded your mask. Would it still work or would it have to dry out?
RonFrank
Contributor
Kaiser442:
What will they think of next! I'd guess we won't see this make it into scuba masks for quite some time. Hopefully the process is not all that expensive.
MichaelBaranows
Contributor
I didn't read the full article but they already make anti-fog mask.
lamont
Contributor
would this also work on the outside of windshields kind of like an inverse rain-x or not?
I would be curious as to how long your glass would stay usable with this technology applied. If it wicks water into the pores then it wicks in whatever is with the water as well (smog, dirt, smoke, etc.). How long would it be before the clarity of the glass was effected?
crpntr133
lost, even with a compass
rockjock3:
...and I don't think I would want to use it on a ice dive. Water tends to expand when it freezes.
gt3073b
Contributor
crpntr133:
Since fog is when the water beads up like tiny lenses, you'd never get the fog to occur on a layer of water because the surface tension would suck the fog in and create a thicker but still flat surface. Liquids don't bead up on themselves, they merge.
Rain-X works by breaking the surface tension of the water so that it attaches to the glass at a very shallow angle, ie the water forms large flat spots instead of tall droplets. If you put a little water on a Rain-X windshield, you get large thin drops, but if you flood it, you get a nice clear sheet. Gravity pulls the water flat, and the surface tension is too weak to pull the water up against it into a bead. If you use a wick to pull the water evenly in all directions across the glass, you'd do the same thing. This coating is basically a microscopic sponge. Filling the coating with water wont kill the effect since water is the ideal anti-fog surface. I can't ever recall fogging the OUTSIDE of my mask.
Grab a glass of ice water and try to fog the surface of the water with your breath. You'll never do it.
Hope this wasn't too long-winded. I tend to nerd out on this kind of stuff
Bryan.
Greg D.
Contributor
Guess now I will be able to wear my mask on my forehead and not worry about it fogging up 
lmorin
Contributor
Unless damaged (e.g., scratched), it should work forever. As someone else stated, "fog" on glass is visible because of tiny beads of water formed on the glass. The droplets scatter light in undesirable directions preventing us from seeing through the beads of water. However, with the technology invented by the MIT guys, the beads cannot form. Any water on a flat horizontal surface would be clear and see-through. Water on a vertical surface would drop to the bottom and not form beads of fog. Another significant advantage pointed out by the inventors is that brightness of the view through glass should be greater because the physical characteristics of the coating reduce light reflection, enhancing transmission through the glass.rockjock3:
Similar threads
