Chemists are developing new water-resistant materials for use in coatings that can repel water. These coatings have applications in everything from clothes to car windows and even industrial uses. New research published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces describes a way to direct where the water goes when it beads off a surface. Watch a video describing […]
Chemists are developing new water-resistant materials for use in coatings that can repel water. These coatings have applications in everything from clothes to car windows and even industrial uses. New research published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces describes a way to direct where the water goes when it beads off a surface.
Watch a video describing water-resistant materials research:
To address this issue, researchers started with superhydrophobic silicon wafers, in which they cut straight, circular and wavy tracks using photolithography. Then they exposed the material to an oxygen plasma cleaner and treated it with a vapor of silicone nanofilaments to make the tracks hydrophobic. This novel step was critical for keeping water droplets’ spherical shape and minimizing the difference in the front and back contact angles. Testing showed that water flowed along the designated paths without leaving a trace.
