Background
Glass and ceramic coatings have gained increased attention and been more accepted among car owners due to their advantages over a conventional wax coating. They possess high hardness and are durable, thus preventing scratch and protecting original car’s exterior surface. In addition, they exhibit higher hydrophobicity, providing better water-repellent and anti-adhesion properties. A research team and private company are keen to develop ceramic hybrid coating comprising of reduced graphene oxide, and to commercialize this coating as alternative to the imported ceramic coatings.

Goals
Developed two formulations of ceramic hybrid coatings, i.e. standard and concentrated formulations, with comparable properties to the commercialized ceramic coating.

What did the research team do?
Development of ceramic hybrid automotive coating relied on previous research team’s knowledge on self-cleaning superhydrophobic coating. In addition, a literature survey on chemical and constituent of ceramic coating was performed to gain better understanding for product development. Once the first formulation of acceptable properties was developed, it has been evaluated by a private company. The evaluation result was used as a guideline for further development. Finally, the optimized formulation with comparable property to the reference commercial product was produced and commercialized.