

New metal is so hydrophobic it makes water bounce like magic - tomp
http://sploid.gizmodo.com/new-amazing-metal-is-so-hydrophobic-it-makes-water-boun-1680799039?amp

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biot
This is blogspam. Original source was discussed here yesterday:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8921655](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8921655)

~~~
dang
Thanks, we missed that one. Had the story not been discussed yesterday we
would swap the url, but in this case we'll bury the post as a duplicate.

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nhayden
Better, non-gizmodo link:

[http://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/superhydrophobic-
metals-...](http://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/superhydrophobic-
metals-85592/)

~~~
RachelF
Here is what the actual pattern on the platinum looks like:

[http://scitation.aip.org/docserver/fulltext/aip/journal/jap/...](http://scitation.aip.org/docserver/fulltext/aip/journal/jap/117/3/1.4905616.figures.online.f1.gif)

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jthurman
How vulnerable would this nanoscale etching be to damage? Would a scratch or
abrasion ruin its hydrophobic properties?

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durkie
Almost certainly. I would also expect contamination (finger oils, for example)
to be a big issue.

(Source: I worked on and designed equipment for commercial scale-up of a
nanoscale superhydrophobic coating process)

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toomuchtodo
Would not water (or any other solvent's) movement cause a scouring action that
would remove contaminates and keep the surface clean?

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zenocon
I was wondering what would happen if you turned on a firehose and just slammed
it for a good length of time...how durable it would be? If they're planning to
use it on the surface of an airplane wing -- curious how durable the surface
is.

~~~
toomuchtodo
I was actually thinking about using this on the surface of titanium on a
catamaran.

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joegosse
From the paper
[http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/jap/117/3/10.10...](http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/jap/117/3/10.1063/1.4905616)
it appears they have modeled the pattern after the lotus leaf
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_effect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_effect)

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silvio
This will work really well. Some leaves use this same mechanism to 'self-
clean', which means that now we will have the ability to add the 'lotus
effect' to man-made objects.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHcd_4ftsNY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHcd_4ftsNY)

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Jailbird
Since reading Dune, I have been waiting for mankind to get around to making
this. It was just a matter of time.

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s0rce
Worst title ever, this is not a new metal any more than printed paper is new
paper.

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tormeh
About the plane wing applications... Wouldn't these micropatterns also have
some kind of impact on aerodynamics? Not saying it's even a negative thing,
but more research seems to be needed.

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ctdonath
Durability? reaction to other biological substances? I'm thinking of
artificial heart valves and the necessity of preventing anything sticking for
upwards of 50 years of continuous use.

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baddox
Regarding durability, the article says

> 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.

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toomuchtodo
Goodbye Teflon!

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smallegan
Making a hydrophobic urinal seems like an interesting prank.

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jjoonathan
On the 2nd floor of Wean Hall at CMU somebody has sprayed a small patch of
hydrophobic coating on one of the urinals (I think it's the 2nd floor, but
definitely it's floor 2, 4, or 5). The stream normally turns into a "sheet"
falling down the back of the porcelain, except around the patch -- where it
hops off and turns into a thousand little droplets that bounce merrily down to
the drain. Unless the person who put it there keeps re-applying it, the
coating has had an impressive lifespan (at least 1 year in a semi-public
toilet). Anyway, if you happen to be in the area (and male) you can try it
yourself.

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mhb
_the coating has had an impressive lifespan_

Probably isn't handled too much though.

