International.
Engineers at the Australian National University (ANU) have developed a new aerosol material with a remarkable ability to repel water.
The new protective coating could eventually be used for waterproof mobile phones, to prevent ice formation on airplanes or to protect ship hulls from corrosion.
"The surface is a layer of nanoparticles, in which water slides out as if it were on a hot barbecue," said PhD student William Wong, from the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory at the ANU Engineering Research School.
The team created a much more robust coating than previous materials by combining two plastics, one sturdy and one flexible. "It's like two intertwined fishing nets, made of different materials," Wong said.
The water repellent or superhydrophobic coating is also transparent and extremely resistant to ultraviolet radiation.
"The key innovation is that this transparent coating is able to stabilize very fragile nanomaterials, resulting in ultra-durable nano textures with numerous real-world applications," said Antonio Tricoli, research leader and head of the Nanotechnology Research Laboratory.
The team developed two ways to create the material, both of which are cheaper and easier than current manufacturing processes.
One method uses a flame to generate the nanoparticle components of the material. For lower temperature applications, the equipment dissolves the two components in a sprayable form.
Source: www.anu.edu.au
