The team says the new coating has a few advantages over existing self-healing coatings. Using organic photothermal dyes means it needs far less energy to work than regular inorganic versions, which usually require heat guns or concentrated UV lights. Others, like Nissan's Scratch Shield, work under gentler conditions but can take up to a week. The new coating can also repair a scratch in the same location multiple times, unlike self-healing materials that work using bursting capsules of resin. Importantly, the new coating is transparent, so it won't mess with the color of the paint job, and can be applied using existing spray-coating methods. While cars are the primary use case, the team says it could also be applied to other often-scratched devices like phones or building materials.