Water Practically Flies Off 'Near Perfect' Hydrophobic Surface That Refuses to Get Wet

[The Straight Story]

Water Practically Flies Off 'Near Perfect' Hydrophobic Surface That Refuses to Get Wet

ScienceDaily (Mar. 6, 2010) — Engineering researchers have crafted a flat surface that refuses to get wet. Water droplets skitter across it like ball bearings tossed on ice.

The inspiration? Not wax. Not glass. Not even Teflon.

Instead, University of Florida engineers have achieved what they label in a new paper a "nearly perfect hydrophobic interface" by reproducing, on small bits of flat plastic, the shape and patterns of the minute hairs that grow on the bodies of spiders.

"They have short hairs and longer hairs, and they vary a lot. And that is what we mimic," said Wolfgang Sigmund, a professor of materials science and engineering.

A paper about the surface, which works equally well with hot or cold water, appears in this month's edition of the journal Langmuir.

Spiders use their water-repelling hairs to stay dry or avoid drowning, with water spiders capturing air bubbles and toting them underwater to breathe. Potential applications for UF's ultra-water-repellent surfaces are many, Sigmund said. When water scampers off the surface, it picks up and carries dirt with it, in effect making the surface self-cleaning. As such, it is ideal for some food packaging, or windows, or solar cells that must stay clean to gather sunlight, he said. Boat designers might coat hulls with it, making boats faster and more efficient.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100224132639.htm

[Jamastiene]

1. Spiders RAWK!!!

I have learned to love the little shits.

[Liberal Veteran]

2. Fox News Headline: Will Rabid Paper Kill Us All?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

5. DUzy! -nt

[Edweird]

3. dupe.

[Edweird]

4. I'm thinking 'windbreaker', maybe even t-shirt - unless it's itchy.

[CanSocDem]

6. Rain will be a Free Car Wash. (eom)

[Touchdown]

8. Thinking the same thing.

They're always talking about how much water car washing wastes. If cars were made of this, then even when a car gets washed, I et a fraction of the water would be needed.

[Bozita]

7. forever roofing?

[girl gone mad]

9. I guess I've wasted a lot of time..

moving spiders out of my shower so they wouldn't drown. :shrug:

[LiberalFighter]

10. I wonder if they can make the roads out of this stuff?

Drivers wouldn't have to worry about slick conditions.

[dysfunctional press]

11. or- when it rains, they may have nothing BUT slick conditions.

the road may not get 'wet'- but the water would still be there, between the tire and the road.

[Martin Eden]

12. Waterproof jackets with this surface would be great!

The hiking/backpacking community is always looking for better, more efficient rain shells.

[MilesColtrane]

13. Great for furniture if you've got kids.

You just can't let the fact that you're sitting on a spider hair couch freak you out.