Asian Scientist (Sep. 24, 2013) – A new nanostructured material that can reduce condensation in airplane cabins and enable certain medical tests without the need for high tech laboratories has been developed by researchers at the University of Sydney.
“The newly discovered material uses raspberry particles – so-called because of their appearance – which can trap tiny water droplets and prevent them from rolling off surfaces, even when that surface is turned upside down,” said Dr Andrew Telford, lead author of the research recently published in Chemistry of Materials.
The ability to immobilize very small droplets on a surface can lead to many potential applications.
Raspberry particles mimic the surface structure of rose petals which are highly water repellent. This is the reason why water droplets bead up in a spherical shape on top of rose petals.
As a result, water droplets bead up when placed on films made of raspberry particles and do not drip down even when the film is turned upside down.
“Raspberry particle films can be described as sticky tape for water droplets,” said Dr Telford.
The particles can be used in preventing condensation issues in airplane cabins. It could also help rapidly process simple medical tests on free-standing droplets, with the potential for very high turnover of tests with inexpensive equipment and in remote areas.
Other exciting applications are under study. For example, surfaces that stay dry forever and quick-dry walls and roofs are just some of the applications that are now possible with the discovery.
The article can be found at: Telford et al. (2013) Mimicking The Wettability Of The Rose Petal Using Self-Assembly Of Waterborne Polymer Particles.
——
Source: University of Sydney; Photo: JuditK/Flickr/CC.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
