Professional Resources
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Professional Resources
Ó ASM International 2020
Super Water-Repellent Materials Are Now Durable Enough for the Real World A collaboration between researchers in China and Finland has developed an armor-plated superhydrophobic surface which can take repeated battering from sharp and blunt objects, and still repel liquids effectively. The superhydrophobic properties of the surface, which can be made out of metal, glass, or ceramic, come from nano-sized structures spread all over it, patterning the surface of the material with a honeycomb-like structure of tiny inverted pyramids. The fragile water-repellent chemical is then coated on the inside the honeycomb and is protected from damage by the pyramid’s walls. ‘‘The armor can be made from almost any material; it’s the interconnection of the surface frame that makes it strong and rigid,’’ says Professor Robin Ras, a physicist at Aalto University whose research group was part of the project. ‘‘We made the armor with honeycombs of different sizes, shapes, and materials.’’ Superhydrophobic surfaces can be used in any application requiring a liquid-repellent surface, such as antimicrobial coatings for biomedical applications, as bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens cannot cling to their surfaces. Another example is photovoltaics, where the buildup of moisture and dirt over time blocks the amount of light they can absorb, which reduces electricity production. Machines and vehicles in use for long periods of time could also benefit. ‘‘By using the decoupled design, we introduce a new approach for designing a robust superhydrophobic surface,’’ said Professor Xu Deng, the leader of the group at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Chengdu who took part in this research.
A schematic representation of how the surface looks, and how the structure repels water. Credit: Aalto University
To simulate various working environments, the researchers subjected their new surfaces to extreme conditions, including baking them at 100 °C (212 °F) nonstop for weeks, immersing them in highly corrosive liquids for hours, blasting them with high-pressure water jets, and subjecting them to physical exertion in extreme humidity. The surfaces were still able to repel liquid as effectively as before. Future research will explore their broad potential in real-world applications. For more information: www.nature.com/articles/ s41586-020-2331-8.
One-of-a-Kind Microscope Enables Breakthrough in Quantum Science Professor Ido Kaminer and his team at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed a quantum microscope that records the flow of light, enabling the direct observation of light trapped inside a photonic crystal.
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‘‘We have developed an electron microscope that produces, what is in many respects, the best near-field optical microscopy in the world. Using our microscope, we can change the color and angle of light that illuminates any sample of nano materials and map their interactions with electrons, as we demonstrated wi
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