Using Lasers to Create Super-hydrophobic Materials

[The Lightning Stalker]

A group of researchers at Rochester
University led by Chunlei Guo has developed
a laser etching technique to carve
superhydrophobic surfaces. Water has such
a high contact angle with the special new
pattern that it bounces like a ball and
dribbles away.

 

[thestug]

I saw this earlier today. I wonder how long the etching process takes? I would assume quite some time, because lasers don't cover that much surface area so it would take many passes to coat a large part.

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

It is probably under a minute per square
inch unless the pattern is really complex.
Galvo marking lasers are FAST.

 

[Hiemal]

This more or less sounds like how blu-ray burners work; etching really small patterns into plastic instead, though.

Makes me wonder if there could be a way to ghetto mod a blu-ray burner to do something similar to this.

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

I think it would be possible if they would
release information about the process. I
doubt they will, though, so they can sell
it to us saps at super inflated prices.

 

[Cyparagon]

This more or less sounds like how blu-ray burners work; etching really small patterns into plastic instead, though.

Optical disc burning isn't done by etching a surface, it's done by coloring a dye.

 

[Pman]

University of Rochester is less than 10 miles from me Think they will let me borrow some stuff?

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

I think they may want to borrow some of
your stuff! :tinfoil:

 

[RYDorDIE278]

I guess they are just using one particular substrate? it would be cool if they started trying it on aluminium, steel copper and everything else, i do a bit of super hydrophobic coating at work time to time but it leaves a milky film on when finished...... which can be undesirable, quite often public toilets request it for their ceilings so that people cant stick their wet toilet paper balls to the ceiling, haha "Ultra Every Dry" is what we use

 

[The Lightning Stalker]

The test substrate was aluminum, but they
appear to indicate that it can be applied
to any surface.

 

[RYDorDIE278]

The test substrate was aluminum, but they
appear to indicate that it can be applied
to any surface.

oh i had the video on mute. Its awesome technology especially using lasers.