A nanoscale view of bubble formation

A new model now describes the boiling process with much greater precision

22-Nov-2022 - When a liquid boils in a vessel, tiny vapor bubbles form at the bottom and rise, transferring heat in the process. How these small bubbles grow and eventually detach was previously not known in any great detail. A German-Chinese research team under the leadership of the Helmholtz-Zentrum ...

Temperature can regulate wetting properties of sprayed latex surfaces

Properties are essential for spray manufacturing and the printing industry

17-Apr-2020 - A Swedish-German research team has been using DESY’s X-ray source PETRA III to investigate how surface coatings can be made to attract or repel water using tailor-made latex nanoparticles. Being able to influence the wettability of surfaces during production is important in many applications, ...

Nice ice, maybe: Study finds water-repelling surfaces ease ice removal

19-Oct-2017 - Water-repellent surfaces and coatings could make ice removal a literal breeze by forcing ice to grow up rather than just skate by, says a new study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and several Chinese institutions. The researchers discovered that ice grows differently on absorbent vs. ...

Filter may be a match for fracking water

27-Sep-2017 - A new filter produced by Rice University scientists has proven able to remove more than 90 percent of hydrocarbons, bacteria and particulates from contaminated water produced by hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations at shale oil and gas wells. The work by Rice chemist Andrew Barron and his ...

Waterproofing and antifouling materials developed

12-Jun-2017 - 'Green' project led by Swansea scientists could replace more expensive and hazardous materials used for waterproofing and antifouling/fogging. New materials have been developed by scientists in the Energy Safety Research Institute (ESRI) at Swansea University which is nontoxic, economical and ...

Gas gives laser-induced graphene super properties

18-May-2017 - Rice University scientists who invented laser-induced graphene (LIG) for applications like supercapacitors have now figured out a way to make the spongy graphene either superhydrophobic or superhydrophilic. And it's a gas. Until recently, the Rice lab of James Tour made LIG only in open air, ...

Movable microplatform floats on a sea of droplets

16-Dec-2016 - Microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS, are tiny machines fabricated using equipment and processes developed for the production of electronic chips and devices. They've found a wide variety of applications in today's consumer electronics, but their moving parts can wear out over time as a result ...

Samsung licenses ORNL transparent superhydrophobic glass coatings for electronic devices

07-Oct-2016 - Samsung Electronics has exclusively licensed optically clear superhydrophobic film technology from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory to improve the performance of glass displays on smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices. ORNL's development of a transparent ...

Water-resistant thanks to a biofilm

Mortar with an added bacterial film is highly resistant to water uptake

27-Jul-2016 - Moisture can destroy mortar over time – for example when cracks form as a result of frost. A team of scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has found an unusual way to protect mortar from moisture: When the material is being mixed, they add a biofilm – a soft, moist substance ...