Biomimetics has been the subject of curiosity recently to develop new materials that could mimic nature for applications varying from medicine to textiles.

A team of scientists from United States, lead by Professor Kripa Varanasi from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has reported a new development in super hydrophobic materials.

Super hydrophobic surfaces

Publishing today in Nature journal, the scientists demonstrated that they could reduce the theoretical contact time by designing super hydrophobic surfaces which redistributes the liquid so that the surface dries quickly.

Professor Varanasi believes that if the liquid drops could be made to bounce faster on the surface, it can lead to many applications.

Varanasi’s group showed that by increasing the surface interaction in a specific way, the contact times between the liquid droplets and the surface can be brought down by 40% than the current limiting values.

New alternative

This new surface technology could be created on fabrics as a replacement for current waterproof coatings whose safety is under examination by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, said Varanasi.

The surface texture is said to reshape the droplets and change its symmetry so that they can bounce faster, explained James Bird, a co-author of the study, who is currently with Boston University.

Such new hydrophobic mechanisms are expected to have applications in chemical protective clothing, outdoor and recreational textile structures.

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