Surfaces

Ice wreaks havoc on surfaces, but we might have a new way to prevent it building up. Scientists at Northwestern University have shown that textured surfaces with thin layers of graphene oxide can stay completely frost-free for long periods.

Limescale buildup in thermal power plants due to the use of hot water can substantially affect efficiency, prompting researchers to develop a novel soft hydrogel-based surface coating that repels limescale crystals and prevents them from adhering.

Preventing or clearing ice build-up on surfaces is a major winter problem, as some areas are currently experiencing. Scientists at KAIST have now developed a new thin film coating made of gold nanorods that can passively melt ice using just sunlight.

Inspired by a water-dwelling spider, researchers have created a novel surface material that stays dry for months underwater. They say the surface is easy to produce, scalable, and has a wide range of practical applications.

Ice build-up can pose a problem for roads, aircraft, wind turbines and power lines, among many other things. Now scientists have developed a new structure made of copper nanowires that can passively de-ice surfaces with an efficacy of close to 100%.

Lighter colors are cooler than darker ones, which can limit the practical palette choices for your clothes, car or house. A new material, inspired by butterfly wings, can produce vibrant colors while reflecting 100% of light to keep them cooler.

Researchers have developed a simple new way to make material surfaces with intricate nanoscale textures, all inspired by nature. Different patterns have a range of applications, like making antimicrobial surfaces or reducing ship hull friction.

Goggles, glasses and windshield can fog up if there’s a difference in temperature or humidity. Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a new anti-fog coating that warms up the surface without needing electricity.

Harvard scientists have led an international team to develop a new surface that can reconfigure its shape, stickiness or slipperiness on demand, through the application of a magnetic field.

Rubber and steel are at different ends of the spectrum of hardness, and wherever an object falls on that scale is typically where it will stay. But now, researchers have developed a metamaterial that can change the stiffness of its surface, from hard to soft and back.

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.

When it comes to creating surfaces, it's a simple task to either make ones that are smooth or ones that are bumpy. But now researchers at MIT have created one that can be both, with the ability to dynamically change texture through the application of pressure.