This video has been making its rounds on Facebook walls and Twitter feeds for the past few weeks. The nearly 8 million views on Youtube would seem to indicate that this new feat of engineering amazes people. Rightly so, I say.

Material science has made leaps and bounds in the last decade. We are now working on a scale so small that we can replicate properties of natural substances on an atomic level.

‘Natural substances!? Things in nature do this already?’ you ask, with a dubious sneer.

‘Yes, of course!’ I respond, in a terrible Christopher Walken impression.

First, let’s talk about what is actually happening in this video. This surface is coated with a substance known as a Superhydrophobic. Simply put, this means that it doesn’t get wet. Can’t get wet, in fact. A Hydrophobic material doesn’t simply repel water. It is put together in such a way that the atomic structure does not allow the water molecules to adhere to it. Superhydrophobic is simply a word that means, wait for it, SUPER Hydrophobic. The resistance against the adhesion of water molecules is much greater.

Condensation…ation…ation…

Did you ever notice that when water runs down a surface, it seems to create little paths, and other droplets follow those paths? That’s because the easiest thing for water to stick to is itself. Once there is a small layer of water on a surface, it becomes that much easier for more water to move across it.

The underlying principle of the material you see here is that the force of attraction of the green liquid to itself is much greater than the the green stuff’s ability to adhere to the plate.

Now comes the mind blowing part.

This stuff already exists in nature!

At least, in function if not in form. Do yourself a favor and go outside some morning before the dew has evaporated. You will find, on many leaves, little balls of liquid that you can simply pour right off, leaving you a dry leaf.

Remember this guy?

This hilarious prank works because cinnamon is hydrophobic. You put it in your mouth but your saliva can’t break it down. The little bits float around and attack your throat, and, in some cases, all the way into your sinuses. If you don’t believe me, try to stir some cinnamon into your next hot chocolate or coffee. It should simply float to the top even after vigorous stirring.

 

Narf Out.