Hydrophobic chipping safe to consume ?

[Erina]

I recall a while back now that between them both MIT and Harvard were working on coatings to create a frictionless surface, most notably demonstrated by extracting the last of the ketchup in a bottle: 

 

Since 2012 nothing much has come of it. However, predating that back in 2009 there has been continuous experimentation with using a femtolaser to etch into materials to give them hydrophobic properties, so that no new material need be added : http://www.rochester.edu/news/show.php?id=3387

I would like to know, for example in an aluminium food can, if any of the metal were to chip away, would that be safe to imbibe or ingest ?

Rusted metal will not kill you, even if it touches the foodstuff (a benefit of the surface treatment is that the foodstuff doesn't come into contact with it, as it literally sits on air, and so cannot corrode the material), but I was concerned with respiratory inhalation of stray aluminium particles ?

 

 

[VulgarTangerine]

I would believe respiratory inhalation of the aluminium particles isn't really the issue. Although there isn't any wide spread problem with aluminium cans, in some cases various health problems can occur due to its containment of BPA, which I assume you know about. The main concern regarding health problems I think would be tin in cans. I found a public health statement on it, quite interesting. 

https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp55-c1-b.pdf

[Erina]

Just revisiting this I notice the watermark from the original company was removed, it was from an MIT spinoff called "LiquiGlide".

Developed by Professor Kripa Varanasi and his understudy David Smith, they developed a compound of which is FDA approved and can even be a combination of the actual foodstuffs used to prevent friction to the container's surface.

The company struck recently a deal with Colgate-Palmolive and the technology is currently used in Colgate's "Elixir" product:

 

And to think that this is marketed to make your teeth white.

Edited December 25, 2022 by Erina