| abstract |
The present invention describes a process by which a coating which has dirt- and water-repellant properties can be applied non-permanently to any article. It is usual nowadays for articles to be provided with self-cleaning properties by generating, on the surface of the article, a surface structure made from elevations and depressions which have to have a certain height and a certain separation. This is usually achieved by impressing such structures, or by securing structure-forming particles by means of a carrier system. In this way the surfaces are provided with a permanent self-cleaning surface. If scratching, discoloration, or some other type of damage causes impairment of the surface or surface structure, this cannot be simply removed and reapplied, but instead the article then has to be retreated, freed from the surface structure by a complicated method, or disposed of. In contrast, the inventive coating can be removed again from the articles by relatively simple mechanical means. The inventive coating is also simple to produce, by applying a suspension of an alcohol and structure-imparting particles to the article. |