Hydrophobic
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To make water repellent coatings that are a self-healing, a team of scientists led by Jürgen Rühe at the University of Freiburg in Germany has come up with a superhydrophobic that sheds its outer skin like a snake to repair itself after being damaged.
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Soon we could start to see a new class of waterproof products that stay hydrophobic for the long haul. That's thanks to a breakthrough by University of Michigan researchers to create a water-repellent spray-on coating they claim is hundreds of times more durable than similar substances.
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There are already processes that allow materials to become superomniphobic – repellant to liquids including oils. Wouldn't it be easier, however, if there was just a superomniphobic tape one could apply? Well, now there is.
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Most superhydrophobic coatings aren't overly durable, meaning their water repelling properties can be easily lost. Now ANU scientists have developed a new spray-on superhydrophobic coating that is much more robust than existing solutions and low-cost to manufacture and apply.
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When an oil spill occurs on water, one way of cleaning up that spill involves the use of materials which soak up the oil. Those won't be very effective, however, if they absorb both oil and water. That's why scientists have turned to nature, resulting in a fern-inspired material known as Nanofur.
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Those last stubborn drops of ketchup, shampoo or honey are practically impossible to retrieve from a near-empty bottle. Advanced nonstick coatings are threatening to put an end to this unavoidable wastage, and a new coating made from edible wax is shaping up as a high-potential candidate.
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Generally, water repellent objects and those that attract or absorb water have very different microscopic-level attributes. Now researchers have discovered a way to use a single type of material to perform both functions, switching between the two simply by applying electric current.
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Anyone who's tried to travel during winter will know how frustrating the current de-icing process is. A group of scientists think they may have solved this problem with a liquid-like substance that forces ice to slide straight off when it gets cold.
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Scientists at Rice University, the University of Swansea, the University of Bristol and the University of Nice - Sophia Antipolis have developed a new class of hydrocarbon-based material that they say could be "greener" substitute for fluorocarbon-based materials currently used to repel water.
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When liquids stick to steel for long enough, the steel corrodes. Fortunately, Harvard scientists have recently discovered that their existing SLIPS technology not only causes liquids to roll right off, but it actually makes steel stronger.
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researchers at Northwestern University have deduced the optimal texture roughness required make surfaces hydrophobic and keep them dry underwater for months at a time, which could prove invaluable for everything from pipes to boats and submarines.
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Scientists in Australia are looking at the manner in which a particular type of gecko is able to stay clean. Their findings could pave the way for things like water-repelling electronics, or clothes that never need washing.
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