World’s most water-repellent surface

Foils lift the hull from the water to reduce displacement, but what if water does not stick to the hull when it is in the water? Scientists in Finland may have broken the code:

Scientists have developed what they call the most water-repellent surface ever. By giving it a liquid-like coating that defies usual designs, water will roll off the surface at angles 500 times shallower than other superhydrophobic materials.

The ability to repel water is important for many materials, particularly in the automotive, marine, and aerospace industries. Many superhydrophobic surfaces work by trapping a layer of air or liquid, which causes any water that lands on it to ball up into droplets and roll off more easily.

But an emerging technology creates what are called liquid-like surfaces (LLS), which have layers of highly mobile molecules that act like liquids but are tethered to substrates so they don’t escape. The end result is like a lubricated surface that water slides right off. – Full report

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