Ultra-Ever Dry - superhydrophobic & oleophobic coating

nxakt · February 27, 2013, 4:04am

iab:

nxakt:

Mind bending. Coat boat hulls to make them go faster?

I just did a little side project on this. The problem with boats is the drag caused by plant and animal macrofouling, e.g. barnacles stuck to your boat.

The macrofouling all starts with the formation of what is called a biofilm. The exact same stuff that forms to your indwelling medical devices. It is also the stuff that gives you an infection that can lead to your death. Scary, but fascinating stuff.

Anyhow, you need what is called an amphiphilic surface, one that has alternated hydrophobic and hydrophilic areas, to prevent the formation of biofilms. Hydrophobic alone will not deter the formation of biofilms.

This is a quick overview on the formation of biofilms on boat hulls,

http://www.tees.ac.uk/sections/research/technology_futures/s2b_fouling_coatings.pdf

Great document and information. Thanks for that.

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Ultra-Ever Dry - superhydrophobic & oleophobic coating

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