GE develops non-stick plastic

It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy to know that some of the best minds on this watery blue ellipsoid are working hard to crack the secret of Fermat's Last Theorem and uh, how to efficiently dislodge ketchup onto fries. See, the good folks at GE have modified the inexpensive plastic  "Lexan" to make it more slippery than a "freshly waxed car."  While GE has not set out to make consumables yet, it's easy to imagine practical uses in sticky sweet food containers, ever-clean building materials, and in medical applications where tiny volumes of bodily fluids must be whisked away through micrometer-scale channels. Yeah, we know what you're thinking -- it's been done.

[Jonathan Norris @ Feb 24th 2006 12:52PM]

lexan has been around for a while. I've used it for many years now.

[Borstal Boy @ Feb 24th 2006 12:57PM]

Restaurants have been using Lexan containers for food storage for years, too. It really does clean up quite easily, though.

[Tom Kelman @ Feb 24th 2006 12:58PM]

Didn't someone solve Fermat's Last Theorem?

[JB @ Feb 24th 2006 1:00PM]

I'm thinking "best slide ever!"

[twrex10 @ Feb 24th 2006 1:02PM]

You may want to edit the post to something more like

"the good folks at GE have developed a new version of the inexpensive plastic Lexan which is more slippery than a "freshly waxed car." While GE has not set out to make consumables yet...etc"

apparently sarcasm and the internet don't work... who'da thunk?

[Justin @ Feb 24th 2006 1:06PM]

Yeah guys--this was a misread...they've developed a process to modify Lexan, which has been around for years, so that it is superhyrdophobic.

[Beldurnik @ Feb 24th 2006 1:11PM]

Here is a link to Wikipedia showing 1994 as when the proof was fixed and settled on. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermat%27s_Last_Theorem

[sps @ Feb 24th 2006 1:23PM]

I'm sure this is being worked on, or maybe there's even prototypes or full working examples, but shouldn't GE be thinking to itself "crap, we need to develop this kind of thing with something other than petrochemicals"? Just a thought.

[Dolomite @ Feb 24th 2006 1:26PM]

Wasn't Lexan discovered in 1953?

[Thomas Ricker @ Feb 24th 2006 1:40PM]

Yup, I misread the original. Post changed to reflect a modification to, not development of Lexan. And yeah, FLT was solved, but I'm only halfway through the book. Thanks for the spoiler Beldurnik!

[bliss @ Feb 24th 2006 2:22PM]

yeah...I'd like to coat my car with something like that...the color black doesn't do well with dirt.

[sparrow @ Feb 24th 2006 3:06PM]

Lexan, slippery, Sounds like a nice of windshield to me. Like RainX all the time.

[Ken Zemach @ Feb 24th 2006 3:12PM]

Actually, I don't think food is going to be their only target. GE has their plastic sights set on cars, and has for years. Yeah, I know they have to make it more scratch resistant too (which they've been working on as well), but start imagining the volume of plastic sales if you start replacing windows in cars. Part of that solution is apparently this.

[Irina @ Feb 24th 2006 3:31PM]

the picture is good though!

Has to prove something unraveled so far!!!!!!!!!

[Louis @ Feb 25th 2006 10:34AM]

Quote: I'm sure this is being worked on, or maybe there's even prototypes or full working examples, but shouldn't GE be thinking to itself "crap, we need to develop this kind of thing with something other than petrochemicals"?

Why would they think that? Corporations, in of themselves, aren't environmentally conscious. It would have to be individuals in power who think like that, and that mentality has to work it's way down. Maybe the odd individual research is looking for ways to make Lexan out of corn, but first they have to solve the problem of making super slick Lexan anyway.

[Elaine @ Feb 25th 2006 9:46PM]

I wonder how it fits in that a main component of polycarbonate lexan, bisphenol-A, is an endocrine disruptor?
http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/oncompounds/bisphenola/bpauses.htm#recentimportant

[Tim Lord @ Feb 25th 2006 10:24PM]

I want this a) to be nice and durable and b) on the bottom of a snowboard :)

[Cuba @ Feb 27th 2006 1:05AM]

Is there something wrong with polypropelene now?