From Oak Ridge Wiki

Click Here to Create Your Oak Ridge Wiki Page Now!

Oak Ridge Wiki News

Oak Ridge Scientist Creates "Unwettable Surface"

Sometimes it's the seemingly boring inventions that make a huge splash in the world of business and manufacturing.

Case in point: John Simpson of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has a pattent pending on a new "superhydrophobic" substance that will make water totally resistant to windshields, windows, electronic surfaces, etc.

"What I developed is a glass powder coating material with remarkable properties that cause water-based solutions to bounce off virtually any coated surface," said Simpson on the ORNL website.

"Such a superhydrophobic powder has many features and advantages, some of which include ease of manufacturing, low cost and scalability.

"Staying dry in a rainstorm may only have a small personal value," he said, "but reducing the energy required to transport products by boat or barge or extending the life of bridges or buildings would have a great value to society and individuals alike."

It's awesome to be living in a place like East Tennessee where you can be admired for your ability to get down with a country two step, and be living among people whose minds are changing the world one invention at a time.

Way to go John Simpson!