To improve auto coatings, new tests do more than scratch the surface
(PHYSorg.com Chemistry)

Know that sickening feeling when you exit the grocery store and find your car has been banged up by a runaway shopping cart? It may one day be just a bad memory if auto body manufacturers make use of a new suite of tests developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and three industry partners. Data from these tests could eventually help your vehicle`s exterior better defend itself against dings, dents, scratches and things that go bump on the highway.