A new material could change the way we get sticky liquids out of bottles

Struggling to get the last bit of mustard out of the bottle or the last squirt of toothpaste out of the tube can be one of the most frustrating feelings.

But a new coating called LiquiGlide might eliminate that problem. The substance can keep the inside of a container permanently wet, allowing its contents to easily slide out anytime. Look how easy it is get to mayonnaise out of a bottle coated in LiquiGlide:

LiquiGlide was originally created in 2012 by MIT associate professor Kripa Varanasi and several of his grad students. They’ve since formed their own company, and LiquiGlide has just announced that the product is now commercially available to be used for packaged goods, including condiments, dairy products, toothpaste, lotions, and liquid adhesives like glue. That means companies can now start buying the product to put inside containers.  

The reason it’s difficult to get things like glue and condiments out of their containers is because they are viscous liquids that can’t flow without a powerful push. When these kinds of liquids are poured out of a bottle, different layers flow at distinct speeds — the portion in the center of the container flows fastest, while the layer closest to the edge sticks to the container’s inner surface. That creates friction and viscosity. 

The idea behind LiquiGlide is to create an extra layer between the container and the liquid that will help the liquid slide out easier. The coating binds much more strongly to textured surfaces than to liquids, so when it’s painted onto the inside of a container, it allows liquid to flow freely over it without friction. 

In this example, the non LiquiGlide syrup bottle is on the left and the LiquiGlide bottle is on the right: