SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
New research from the University of Rochester describes an innovative superhydrophobic (SH) metal array that is effectively unsinkable. The
metal array [...] won't sink, even after it's pierced.
"Regardless how much it's damaged or punctured, it will still be able to stay afloat," Chunlei Guo, the study's chief researcher, told Business Insider.
Video here
There are many applications, such as unsinkable ships and floating cities (a viable alternative to a hollowed out volcano), that are promised by superhydrophobic materials, but in practice these materials start losing their effectiveness over time once submerged or abraided.
we circumvent these two most-challenging obstacles and demonstrate a highly floating multi-faced SH metallic assembly inspired by the diving bell spiders and fire ant assemblies. We study and optimize, both theoretically and experimentally, the floating properties of the design. The assembly shows an unprecedented floating ability; it can float back to surface even after being forced submerging under water for months. More strikingly, the assembly maintains its floating ability even after severe damage and piercing in stark contrast to conventional watercrafts and aquatic devices. The potential use of the SH floating metallic assembly ranges from floating devices and electronic equipment protection, to highly floatable ships and vessels.
The research has been accepted for publication in Applied Materials and Interfaces.
Ed Note - This is a duplicate of https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=19/11/07/0836248. My apologies for not catching that and thanks to FatPhil for bringing it to our attention. - Fnord666]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Sunday November 17 2019, @08:12PM
The interesting part here is: if the buoyancy is obtained from compressible gas "attached" to the outside of the metal layer, that buoyancy is going to diminish with depth, down to ~50% @ 30', ~33% @ 60' etc. It's not actually a great profile for depth control, SCUBA divers need to actively control buoyancy vests to achieve neutral buoyancy at depth, but not pop like a cork out of the water on ascent.
🌻🌻 [google.com]