"Superomniphobic" Could this be the future of coatings?

[NIS240SHU]

I saw this article on Breaking News & Top Stories - World News, US & Local | NBC News (http://www.nbcnews.com) about a new University of Michigan finding.

Read the article and check out this picture of a water bead bouncing in time lapse!

http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/streams/2013/January/130116/1B5570156-bouncy-tease.streams_desktop_small.jpg

It seems that durability is an issue as of now, but I'm confident something like this can be incorporated into car care products.

Here's the link to the article.

'Superomniphobic' material shrugs off oil, blood, acid and more - FutureTech on NBCNews.com (http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/superomniphobic-material-shrugs-oil-blood-acid-more-1B8002723)

-Helder

[CM8 6MT]

Very interesting

[Johny B]

Thanks for this informative link.

[Andr3wilson]

Swissvax Crystal Rock does this about a day after it is applied. Not fully repelling like this, but small droplets bounce off. Looks like little mercury beads in person

[PiPUK]

I have commented on many of the new wonder technologies and have trialled some for myself. Combining this with the dozens of studies (I suspect 'thousands' would not be overstating the truth, but I have insufficient time to read them all!) published in the literature, I have found that the truth tends to be one of the following:

1) The results are really that good - but rely on techniques which mean it is impossible to do outside of a laboratory, or at least a very high tech industrial, environment (eg. chemical vapour deposition)

2) The results are really that good - but rely on specific chemistry which means it won't work when translated to automotive

3) The results are really that good - but are simply not adequately durable and have limited hope of being made so.

4) The results are really not that good but they do work.

Sad as it is to be inclined to believe, number 4 is where the majority of existing products fall. Not to say there is anything wrong with them, but a great many products on the market make claims which would have you believe that they are at the bleeding edge of technology but when you actually realise where that edge lies, you find that the products remain high performing but lie some distance from the cutting edge. Take for example superhydrophobicity. This is a characteristic marketed for numerous automotive products - most of them achieve respectable hydrophobicity but I have to say I have yet to see one achieve anything close to, for instance, the 150 degree contact angle which one would typically associate with the transition between hydrophobic and super hydrophobic character. Whilst this is undoubtedly not always the case and there is a finite possibility that an incredible new technology is easily transferable, the reality we have to accept is that detailers and the likes represent a tiny market and there simply is inadequate market potential to warrant spending millions of dollars (don't kid yourself, this is small change in scientific research). We simply have to hope for some other industry to do the legwork and it just happen to be transferable.

[FUNX650]

Thanks for this link OP NIS240SHU!!

Let's see now...There's:
-Aquaphobic
-Hydrophobic
-Super Hydrophobic
-Super-Ultra Hydrophobic
-Xenophobic
-Omniphobic
-Superomniphobic
-Next: Really Super-Duperomniphobic?!?!

Every day, (or so it is said), Science is approaching the realm of:
True-Hydrophobicity---"The Lotus Effect"!!

And...Even if that's true, or not:
Irregardless of health/safety issues...
Nanotechnology marches forward.

:)

Bob

[DaveT435]

This is about the same thing. It actually shows them dumping oil, chocolate syrup, etc. on coated products.

Superhydrophobic Coatings | Corrosion Control & Waterproof Coatings | NeverWet (http://www.neverwet.com/)