Researchers create safer nonstick surface, cutting use of 'forever chemicals'
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A new material developed by researchers from University of Toronto Engineering could offer a safer alternative to the nonstick chemicals commonly used in cookware and other applications.
The new substance repels both water and grease about as well as standard nonstick coatings—but it contains much lower amounts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a family of chemicals that have raised environmental and health concerns.
"The research community has been trying to develop safer alternatives to PFAS for a long time," says Professor Kevin Golovin, who heads the Durable Repellent Engineered Advanced Materials (DREAM) Laboratory at U of T Engineering.
"The challenge is that while it's easy to create a substance that will repel water, it's hard to make one that will also repel oil and grease to the same degree. Scientists had hit an upper limit to the performance of these alternative materials."
