Superficial micro-scratches on the car body or on other high-gloss surfaces are harmless, but annoying. Especially in the luxury segment such surfaces are characterized by their flawlessness and lose their value due to micro-scratches. A new paint from Saarbrücken researchers now could provide a solution: Due to the special arrangement of its molecules, maize starch based coating is able to repair small scratches by itself through moderate heat treatment. The cross-linking via ring-shaped molecules makes the material flexible, so that it compensates for the scratches and they disappear again. The new coating was developed by INM experts together with scientists from Saarland University.