It's kind of ick, but science may have defeated the scourge of the skid mark.<br /><br />Chinese researchers have developed a non-stick toilet bowl surface that could make the loo brush redundant.<br /><br />A team from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology say they've created a new toilet bowl that will repel almost any substance.<br /><br />Using 3D printing technology, the researchers fabricated what they call an abrasion-resistant super-slippery flush toilet (ARSFT).<br /><br />Eye-catching demonstrations show "dyed synthetic faeces" sliding seamlessly down the bowl.<br /><br />They report: "Flush toilets waste a significant amount of water every day due to the unavoidable adhesions between human waste and the toilet surfaces.<br /><br />"Super-slippery surfaces can repel complex fluids and various viscoelastic solids, however, are easily broken by mechanical abrasions."<br /><br />A paper published in Advanced Engineering Materials this month describes: "Unlike traditional super-slippery surfaces with limited thicknesses which can be easily worn away, the powder-sintered strategy endows the ARSFT not only with a self-supporting 3D complex shape but also with a porous structure that can accommodate considerable lubricants for an abrasion-resistant super-slippery property.<br /><br />"As a result, the as-prepared ARSFT remains clean after contacting with various liquids such as milk, yogurt, highly sticky honey, and starch gel mixed congee, demonstrating excellent repellence to complex fluids."<br /><br />Besides liquids, the team claim ARSFT exhibits a high resistance to sticky synthetic faeces.<br /><br />They write: "Notably, even after being abraded to 1,000 cycles of abrasion using sandpaper, the ARSFT maintains its record-breaking super-slippery capability.<br /><br />"The concept of the 3D-printed object with a superior abrasion-resistant slippery ability will improve the development of super-slippery materials and further save water consumption in the human society."
