MIT scientists have developed a unique polymer coating made of silica nanoparticles that they say can create surfaces that never fog.

The coatings consist of alternating layers of silica nanoparticles and a polymer called polyallylamine hydrochloride. The super-hydrophilic nanoparticles in the coating strongly attract the water droplets and force them to form much smaller contact angles with the surface. As a result, the droplets flatten and merge into a uniform, transparent sheet rather than forming countless individual light-scattering spheres.

The same coatings also can be engineered to have superior anti-reflective properties that reduce glare and maximize the amount of light passing through.