News & Blogs New amazing metal is so hydrophobic it makes water bounce like magic

Tude

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Pretty cool --- from University of Rochester (my backyard!) couple of vids at link - I couldn't embed them - and they copied in over top of stuff. Comments are fun too "My god, this will make an amazing urinal." - but there are some very good ones (not funny) as well.
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http://sploid.gizmodo.com/new-amazing-metal-is-so-hydrophobic-it-makes-water-boun-1680799039

New amazing metal is so hydrophobic it makes water bounce like magic
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Scientists at the University of Rochester have created a metal that is so extremely hydrophobic that the water bounces on it as if it were repelled by a magic force field. Instead of using chemical coatings they used lasers to etch a nanostructure on the metal itself. It will not wear off, like current less effective methods.

The applications can be revolutionary: From the construction of airplane surfaces—which will avoid water freezing of the fuselage—to non-stick pans to phones to computers to TVs to cars to whatever you can imagine made of metal. They are also thinking of applying the technique to create 100-percent efficient water recollection systems in underdeveloped countries and the creation of latrines in areas where water is not abundant enough to allow for effective cleaning.

But it gets even better: The lead scientist says that 'the structures created by their laser on the metals are intrinsically part of the material surface' so they will not disappear over time, like current chemical coatings do.

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Their research paper says they made the metals using a "powerful and precise laser-patterning technique that creates an intricate pattern of micro- and nanoscale structures to give the metals their new properties." According to Chunlei Guo, professor of optics at Rochester the effect is amazing:

The material is so strongly water-repellent, the water actually gets bounced off. Then it lands on the surface again, gets bounced off again, and then it will just roll off from the surface.
 
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Kim Chee

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This is great stuff. I read about it earlier today on BBC but missed where Rochester was credited. From what I gathered it takes an hour to treat a square inch with a laser. It will be probably quite sometime before we see it priced economically. Another thing I saw that was interesting is that since it is not a coating it does not wear off. I'm looking forward to a brand new non-stick cooking surface. In the meantime, my cast iron is pretty sexy.

Btw...I got to use a laser to shoot a piece of jewelry during my Santa gig. Pretty sweet stuff.
 

Tude

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Yeah - the cooking surface interested me too. Cast iron for dutch oven (it's > 80 yrs old - my Grandmother brought it over from Germany when she was in her 20's).
 

Odin

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::alien::::alien::::alien:: 3wo::wtf::
 

Tude

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Lol -@mmmmmichael - he is always posting a ::cigar:: 420, I'm sure that ::wtf:: was a spitting out-o-the-seed technique. :D
 

Odin

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seed in his mouth :p

Lol -@mmmmmichael - he is always posting a ::cigar:: 420, I'm sure that ::wtf:: was a spitting out-o-the-seed technique. :D

You folks are awesome....

I'm still trying to imagine the surface... not bothering to check the Google or article yet... but thinking about vaguely remember in biology class how water H2O has weak hydrogen bonds.
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/biology/bio4fv/page/hydroge.htm

wonder what this might have to do with shaping the surface with lasers... ...
...

..
too lazy right now. ::arrgh::gonna check it out later::shifty::
 

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