We pulled the curtain back on SilcoTek R&D to see what they're working on. Here's what happened.....
A super water repelling surface.
Full disclosure. The test coating we're about to discuss is not ready for prime time. In other words, we're still working on the final product and process details, so we can't take orders or discuss many details about the coating or process. But if you're interested in learning more about the coating, contact us and we can discuss your application and potential beta test.
Our Director of R&D, Dr. David Smith, (yes that's his real name..) took us on a tour of the research lab recently. One interesting coating that really stood out (other than the coating that makes stuff invisible) (kidding that's next year, here's a clip of Dr. Smith working in his lab on that coating....) Anyway I digress. The coating we found was a new super hydrophobic coating the repels water like crazy! Dr. Smith demonstrated the moisture repelling effectiveness of the coating by squirting water on a coated and uncoated stainless steel coupon. The results were impressive.
Get more information about
hydrophobic and corrosion resistant coatings.
We first sprayed water on an uncoated coupon to get an idea of wetting properties of regular stainless steel. Water was sprayed onto the surface from a water bottle at several angles to gauge wetability. You can see the water spray wetting the surface and running down the face of the coupon in the still photo of the process below. The coupon has virtually no water repelling properties.
After the spray stopped, the coupon was still wet with water continuing to drip off the surface. For applications that demand a dry surface, this kind of soaked surface in a sample flow path can lead to contamination, corrupt test results, sample loss due to moisture solvation, or corrosion of surfaces.
Here's the video of the water spray and wetting of the coupon. You can really see how the water spray completely wets the surface.
Now let's try the coupon with the water repelling coating.
We followed the same procedure as the uncoated coupon. Water was sprayed on the surface but you can see the spray does not wet the surface. It seems to bounce off the surface without getting the surface wet, showing excellent moisture resistance.
After we stopped spraying you can see the coupon isn't wet. There's a water drop on the glove, but not on the coupon!
You can better see the water repelling nature of the coating by watching the video. The water spray seems to bounce off the surface.
Unfortunately we can't discuss many details about the what and how of the new coating. Contact our Technical Service Team and tell them the secret word, "hydrolicous" and we'll tell you some details about the coating and discuss a potential beta test. OK, you don't have to do the secret word thing, just email or call us and we'll be happy to discuss your application.
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