Oh man, glass is AWESOME.
Nanopool has come up with a nanotechnology-based spray-on glass coating that is supposed to be released in Britain soon at a cost of £5 ($8 US) per bottle. How awesome could something be if it’s that cheap? Face-punchingly awesome, Francis! It’s transparent, non-toxic, food-safe [glass is delicious], flexible, breathable, and only 100 nanometres thick (15-30 molecules thick, 1/500th the thickness of a human hair).
It protects surfaces (for about a year) from damage of several types: water, UV radiation, dirt, heat, oil, mild abrasion, etc. It can drastically reduce how often a person has to clean around the house. It resists bacterial contamination, giving it enormous potential in the healthcare field. In agricultural studies, vines coated with the spray resisted mildew, and seeds coated with the stuff grew more rapidly without anti-fungal chemicals. Tests so far suggest it’s even safe to use in vitro. I don’t know how they figured that out, but now I’m picturing glass-coated babies just shooting across the delivery room towards a nurse holding a net. Just don’t use a net made out of silk, or that baby will electrocute us all.