We will probably start with superhydrophobic materials - and from the leader in the commercialization of such technologies, the company Ultratech Int., Among whose products it is worth mentioning the coverage of Gentoo. A polymer film several micrometers thick is sprayed as a spray covering clothes, shoes or other work surface, and effectively repels water, and with it dirt, bacteria and other particles dissolved in the liquid. Gentoo can even act as an effective insulator that protects electronics from rain. Well, even more functional material Ultratech Ultra-Ever Dry combines superhydrophobic properties with oleophobic, "repelling" oils, fat and other non-polar contaminants. And, of course, it looks like a complete fantasy.
At the other extreme are such fantastic materials as hydrogels. A flexible network of hydrophilic polymer molecules is capable of accumulating and retaining moisture in an amount 30-60 times greater than its own volume. Hydrogels are already used in agriculture, for "point" supply of plants with water, and recently American scientists used them to develop an "injectable bandage" to stop internal bleeding. But if we talk about the future, soon the hydrogels will certainly find a lot of even more fantastic applications, including the creation of structures that change shape depending on humidity. Such technologies are shown in the following clip, shot by scientists at Harvard University.
Develop the theme of hydrogels more air materials - aerogels, which are poetically called "frozen smoke" or "hard air". In fact, these are the same gels, the liquid phase in which is replaced by gas, giving material of extremely low density, and at the same time - and with excellent heat-insulating properties. It is as a thermal insulation, they are usually used, although, for example, the space probe Stardust caught particles of cosmic dust with airgel.
Well, commercial products based on the material Airloy offers, for example, the company Aerogel Technologies. Do not think that they are all so fragile - in the demonstration video Aerogel Technologies it is shown that the mechanical properties of modern airgels can not be inferior to other insulating materials.
However, the most ordinary can be fantastic - for example, concrete, the technology of obtaining which is known since ancient times. The method developed by Hendrik Jonker in 2015 was awarded the European Inventor Award 2015 and helps the concrete to repair damage on its own.
For this, bacteria Bacillus pseudofirmus or Sporosarcina pasteurii are introduced into the structure, capable for centuries to remain in a "dormant" state, with a shortage of water and oxygen. As soon as a crack forms in the material and air and moisture seep into it, the microbes activate and convert the calcium lactate introduced into the concrete into lime, which "heals" the damage.
