A new coating made of microscopic threads can repel a variety of liquids, including water (dyed blue), methanol (green), octane (red), and methylene iodine (clear).
Credit: Anish Tuteja and Wonjae Choi, MIT

From the Labs

From the Labs: Nanotechnology

  • March/April 2008
  • By Kevin Bullis

New publications, experiments and breakthroughs in nanotechnology--and what they mean.

   

Coating That Repels Oil
New materials clean themselves, elimi­nating the need for soap and water.

Source: "Designing superoleophobic surfaces"
Gareth H. McKinley, Robert E. Cohen, et al.
Science 318: 1618-1622

Results: Researchers at MIT and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base in California have made novel materials that cause oil to bead up and form near-spherical droplets that easily roll or even bounce off surfaces. The researchers also analyzed the mechanisms behind the materials' oil-repellent properties and developed design rules that could be useful for making similar materials in the future.

 

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