A Slo-Mo Water Show, Care of Superhydrophobia
Water-repelling coatings make for a liquid ballet.
Water repulsion is all the rage at General Electric right now. New hydrophobic, durable coatings that repel liquid could increase energy efficiency across all kinds of machine-based industries. While this is a great advance for technology, a pleasant offshoot is beauty: cue mesmerising slo-mo video of glittering droplets, artfully scattering and dancing in unison.
To develop a superhydrophobic coating, GE's chemists looked to nature's own superhydrophobicity and specifically the "lotus effect" — the way raindrops stay intact and roll off lotus leaves without adhering or soaking in, thanks to nanoscopic hairs on the leaf surface.
If you could harness this water-repelling power of the lotus, what would you do with it? GE's wind turbines and other machinery adversely affected by ice and moisture build-up will benefit from the coating, and a path ahead is also clear for self-cleaning and anti-fouling materials.
Below, watch as the cute, scruffy Slow Mo Guys wear lab coats and utter sweet nothings with their British accents, all while applying macro-lens scrutiny to liquids bouncing off a superhydrophobic coating. This bouncing (or "splooshing" as the guys eloquently put it) creates tumbling, flower-like formations that expand and retract. Marvel as they mess around with food dye, back-lighting and ferrous liquid. It's not unlike the famous Sony Bravia bouncy ball ad, enhanced by an emotional synth soundtrack and the shape-shifting elasticity of water.
Via Gizmodo.
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