AnCaps
ANARCHO-CAPITALISTS
Bitch-Slapping Statists For Fun & Profit Based On The Non-Aggression Principle
 
HomePortalGalleryRegisterLog in

 

 Porcupinefish inspires sturdy superhydrophobic material

View previous topic View next topic Go down 
AuthorMessage
CovOps

CovOps

Female Location : Ether-Sphere
Job/hobbies : Irrationality Exterminator
Humor : Über Serious

Porcupinefish inspires sturdy superhydrophobic material Vide
PostSubject: Porcupinefish inspires sturdy superhydrophobic material   Porcupinefish inspires sturdy superhydrophobic material Icon_minitimeWed Nov 06, 2019 7:29 pm

Nature has evolved a dazzling array of materials that help organisms thrive in diverse habitats. Sometimes, scientists can exploit these designs to develop useful materials with similar or completely new functions. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have made a durable and flexible super-water-repelling material inspired by spiky porcupinefish skin.

Porcupinefish inspires sturdy superhydrophobic material Porcupinefis

Superhydrophobic materials are extremely water repellent, causing droplets of water that fall on them to roll off or even bounce off. Such surfaces could be used for a variety of applications, such as self-cleaning, anti-icing and corrosion prevention. The materials typically owe their water repellency to tiny, needle-shaped structures on their surfaces. However, these micro- or nanotextured surfaces are fragile and easily damaged by bending. In addition, the prickly structures can be scratched or sliced off. Drawing inspiration from the spiny yet flexible skin of the porcupinefish, Yoshihiro Yamauchi, Masanobu Naito and colleagues wanted to develop a hardier superhydrophobic structure. Although porcupinefish skin itself is not superhydrophobic, fabricating the spines out of a hydrophobic compound and shrinking them down to the micrometer scale might make them so, the researchers reasoned.
To develop their superhydrophobic material, the team prepared microscale pufferfish-inspired scales made of zinc oxide. Then, to give the material elasticity, they added a silicone polymer, which combined with the spines to form a porous framework. The material, which could be molded into various shapes or coated onto other surfaces, was not only superhydrophobic but also highly flexible. Unlike other superhydrophobic materials, the porous structure retained its water repellency after being repeatedly bent or twisted. And because the structures existed throughout the material, not just on the surface, scratching or slicing didn't affect the material's repellency, either. The flexibility and porosity of the material helps cushion against mechanical impacts and deformation, the researchers say.

https://phys.org/news/2019-09-porcupinefish-sturdy-superhydrophobic-material.html
Back to top Go down
 

Porcupinefish inspires sturdy superhydrophobic material

View previous topic View next topic Back to top 
Page 1 of 1

Permissions in this forum:You cannot reply to topics in this forum
 :: Anarcho-Capitalist Categorical Imperatives :: AnCaps In Science, Technology & Environment-