Australian researchers are hoping that a thin coating of titanium dioxide particles could help keep toilets clean.
This same technology is currently being used on several kinds of outdoor items, since it is activated by ultraviolet sunlight.
Light below a certain wavelength excites electrons, causing an oxidation effect that cleans continuously and disinfects more effectively than bleach. Techniques are being attempted to make indoor lighting, rather than sunlight, cause the necessary reaction.
Recently, the researchers were able to manage this with a layer of the coating on glass in laboratory trials. But the technology is still in a developmental stage.