Chunlei Guo

Stories

Superhydrophobic materials engineering

Leading superhydrophobic materials research

Ships sink when water floods their hulls, but researchers at the University of Rochester have developed aluminum tubes that trap air so effectively they float indefinitely—even riddled with holes. The breakthrough, published in Advanced Functional Materials, uses laser-etched surfaces that mimic how diving bell spiders and fire ants stay buoyant underwater.

Updated May 23

Notable Quotes

"You can poke big holes in them, and we showed that even if you severely damage the tubes with as many holes as you can punch, they still float." — Professor Chunlei Guo, University of Rochester

from Superhydrophobic materials engineering · Updated May 23

"Importantly, we added a divider to the middle of the tube so that even if you push it vertically into the water, the bubble of air remains trapped inside and the tube retains its floating ability."

from Superhydrophobic materials engineering · Updated May 23