Post thumbnail of An engineered surface unsticks sticky water droplets
14 October 2015
Continue reading An engineered surface unsticks sticky water droplets

An engineered surface unsticks sticky water droplets

Researchers have developed the first nano/micro-textured highly slippery surfaces able to outperform lotus leaf-inspired liquid repellent coatings, particularly in situations where the water is in the form of vapor or tiny droplets.

Post thumbnail of Dancing droplets launch themselves from thin fibers: Droplets flung by hydrophobic material may aid water purification and oil refining
13 October 2015
Continue reading Dancing droplets launch themselves from thin fibers: Droplets flung by hydrophobic material may aid water purification and oil refining

Dancing droplets launch themselves from thin fibers: Droplets flung by hydrophobic material may aid water purification and oil refining

Researchers have observed droplets spontaneously fling themselves from thin fibers. The phenomenon occurs so long as the fibers are small enough relative to the coalescing droplets and moderately hydrophobic, and has applications ranging from water purification to oil refining

Post thumbnail of Surfing droplets: Movement of droplets on soft surfaces
13 October 2015
Continue reading Surfing droplets: Movement of droplets on soft surfaces

Surfing droplets: Movement of droplets on soft surfaces

Researchers have succeeded in clearly identifying why droplets on soft, squishy surfaces react differently than on hard surfaces. A water droplet, for example, moves very differently over jelly than over glass, but the science of how this works has never been investigated. Better understanding of this phenomenon is of importance for a variety of applications where droplets come into contact with extremely soft, deformable materials, as is the case in 3D printing, soft contact lenses or sauces such as mayonnaise.