superhydrophobic product

Discussion in 'Hydrodynamics and Aerodynamics' started by Dave Gudeman, Dec 3, 2011.

  1. Dave Gudeman
    Joined: Nov 2009
    Posts: 135
    Likes: 27, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 359
    Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

    Dave Gudeman Senior Member

    Here is a company that seems to be threatening to come out with a superhydrophobic spray. No promises and no details that I could find, but the product videos are cool.

    Obviously, there are lots of applications for keeping things dry on boats, but I think the big ones are probably bottom coats (for both pest control and performance) and keeping core materials dry. If only it comes out cheap enough.

    The name of the company is Ross Technology Corporation and the product is called Never Wet.
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2011
  2. gonzo
    Joined: Aug 2002
    Posts: 16,790
    Likes: 1,714, Points: 123, Legacy Rep: 2031
    Location: Milwaukee, WI

    gonzo Senior Member

    Is there a link for the company?
     
  3. Dave Gudeman
    Joined: Nov 2009
    Posts: 135
    Likes: 27, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 359
    Location: San Francisco, CA, USA

    Dave Gudeman Senior Member

    Oops :eek:. Added it is in the first post. It's Never Wet.
     
  4. CDK
    Joined: Aug 2007
    Posts: 3,324
    Likes: 148, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 1819
    Location: Adriatic sea

    CDK retired engineer

    A product with such properties would also be the ultimate anti-fouling, anti-seize and once-in-a-lifetime car wax.
    But like always, there is a catch: how do you get it to adhere to a surface?
     
  5. John Perry
    Joined: Nov 2003
    Posts: 308
    Likes: 53, Points: 28, Legacy Rep: 129
    Location: South West UK

    John Perry Senior Member

    From the website they claim a water surface contact angle of 160 to 175 degrees, compared with a waxed car surface which they say has a contact angle of 90 degrees. Doesnt that mean that if a floating boat hull had a waxed surface, the wetted surface area would be exactly as calculated by a naval architect using hydrostatics software, whereas with most real boat hull surfaces the wetted surface must be a tiny bit greater since surface tension drags water up the surface near the waterline. With this coating, the water is going to get dragged down the surface rather than up, but presumably still not by any great distance. If this understanding is correct (please tell me if you know better) then one would think there might be a reduction in skin friction drag, but only a small reduction for any realistically sized boat.

    I can see that if this works it could be very useful for keeping windows clear on boats, and for that matter for keeping windows clear on anything that has windows.
     
  6. Leo Lazauskas
    Joined: Jan 2002
    Posts: 2,696
    Likes: 155, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 2229
    Location: Adelaide, South Australia

    Leo Lazauskas Senior Member

    That sounds quite plausible to me.
    Of course, there is the extra weight of the coating (presumably quite small),
    and whether it increases the roughness of the hull.
    Some manufacturers of marine coatings claim big reductions of skin-friction,
    but often their experiments are very biased.
    For example, comparing a rusty hull with one that has been sprayed with their product.
    In that case the coating can reduce roughness and it is no
    surprise that skin-friction is reduced. On very smooth surfaces skin-friction increases.

    Would this new product do something similar?
    And on a very smooth hull, would it increase the roughness?
    I don't know, but I would like to see *independent* experiments.
    I certainly wouldn't trust results if they were only available from
    the manufacturer.

    I wonder if it would stop windows steaming up, or whether
    the glass would just clear faster after droplets had formed?

    Please post more on this stuff if you can find it.
    (No need to give us their advertising guff, though:
    it's certain to be biased).
     
  7. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
    Posts: 19,126
    Likes: 498, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 3967
    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    We'll see eventually what this stuff is, but my bet is it's a high concentrate of cyanoacetate activated polyurethane. I am curious about film thickness, product weight, hardness, elongation, etc. Is a MSD available yet? If it's what I think it is, the film could be pretty thin (10 mils), but a little heavy for a coating with very good elongation. We'll see, but as is often the case with products presented this way, there's a good reason they're not telling everyone what it is and the physical attributes, as it's just a rehashing of an existing product or has a bit less then the advertising hype suggests.
     
  8. CDK
    Joined: Aug 2007
    Posts: 3,324
    Likes: 148, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 1819
    Location: Adriatic sea

    CDK retired engineer

    Beautifully phrased PAR!
     
    1 person likes this.
  9. daiquiri
    Joined: May 2004
    Posts: 5,371
    Likes: 258, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 3380
    Location: Italy (Garda Lake) and Croatia (Istria)

    daiquiri Engineering and Design

    And anyways, I want to see how it behaves after few months in sea water, in the southern Med or (much worse) in tropical seas.
     
  10. Willallison
    Joined: Oct 2001
    Posts: 3,590
    Likes: 130, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 2369
    Location: Australia

    Willallison Senior Member

    Superhydrophobic... isn't that just someone who's really scared of the water??:p
     
    1 person likes this.
  11. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
    Posts: 19,126
    Likes: 498, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 3967
    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Yep, pretty much Will . . .
     
  12. Leo Lazauskas
    Joined: Jan 2002
    Posts: 2,696
    Likes: 155, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 2229
    Location: Adelaide, South Australia

    Leo Lazauskas Senior Member

    Yes, but the web site mentions nano-particles. They can fix any problem imaginable.
     
  13. Ad Hoc
    Joined: Oct 2008
    Posts: 7,773
    Likes: 1,678, Points: 113, Legacy Rep: 2488
    Location: Japan

    Ad Hoc Naval Architect

    What about the Euro, or the US Trade deficit? :p
     
  14. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
    Posts: 19,126
    Likes: 498, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 3967
    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    maybe my bald spot . . .
     

  15. Leo Lazauskas
    Joined: Jan 2002
    Posts: 2,696
    Likes: 155, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 2229
    Location: Adelaide, South Australia

    Leo Lazauskas Senior Member

    I stand corrected: you need to implant tufts of nanotubes for that problem.

    I'm getting a sticker for mine:
    Objects viewed in bald spot may appear larger than they are.
     
Forum posts represent the experience, opinion, and view of individual users. Boat Design Net does not necessarily endorse nor share the view of each individual post.
When making potentially dangerous or financial decisions, always employ and consult appropriate professionals. Your circumstances or experience may be different.