A Self-Cleaning Super-Hydrophobic Metal Bounced a Single Drop of Water

A Self-Cleaning Super-Hydrophobic Metal Bounced a Single Drop of Water

A group of researchers from the University of Rochester has developed a metal super-hydrophobic impossible to wet capable literally bouncing droplets of water on its surface.

Traditionally, a treatment is applied (coated) specific chemical on a surface to make it hydrophobic.This is effective but the chemical coating deteriorates and loses its effectiveness over time.

The technique developed by the Rochester scientists is even more efficient than existing anti-adhesive materials such as Teflon used in the manufacture of kitchen stoves. With Teflon, must inclined surface of 70 degrees for discharging the liquid. With this new technique, 5 degrees of inclination sufficient for water slides and is evacuated.

The research team used a precise and powerful laser to create a micro grooves and nano-meter complex structure on the surface of the metal. This laser treatment makes the surface of the super-hydrophobic metal and extremely slippery. Falling on the metal, a drop of water bounces on the surface, then falls, then roll up and evacuate all in less than a second.

A Self-Cleaning Super Hydrophobic Metal Bounced a Single Drop of Water22 A Self-Cleaning Super Hydrophobic Metal Bounced a Single Drop of Water2

As water bounced off the super-hydrophobic surface, it also collects dust particles deposited therein. This gives the surface a self-cleaning property.

This new technology is likely to have many applications in the prevention of ice on the wings of the aircraft, rust prevention, increasing the efficiency of solar panels or, why not, in the manufacture of toilet bowls and Self-cleaning sanitary furniture.