Gas guzzling container ships could easily use less fuel if their hulls had less friction. Scientists have long looked to nature for coatings that can help. A group of German researchers has figured out how the simple water fern might do the trick.
The water fern has long been interesting to researchers because of its unique super hydrophobic properties. Little hairs on the fern's surface allow it to be surrounded by a layer of air. Amazingly, it can be submerged in water for weeks at a time and retain its water-repelling nature. The problem with materials modeled after the fern was that they weren't very effective and the water repellant would fade quickly. A group of scientists from the Universities of Bonn, Rostock, and Karlsruhe has figured out the fern's secret at long last.
In an article published in the journal Advanced Materials (abstract), the scientists show that the outermost tips of the water fern Salvinia molesta are actually slightly hydrophilic, meaning they regularly bind water to the plant so it can survive. "[T]he discovery of the salvinia effect is one of the most important new discoveries in bionics," Professor Thomas Schimmel from the University of Karlsruhe said in a statement from the university.
The scientists involved in the research estimate that coatings based on their findings could reduce the total fuel consumption of container ships worldwide by one percent, which is enormous. With millions of gallons of fuel still pouring into the ocean following the Deepwater Horizon spill, we're going to need as much fuel efficiency as we can pull together. When it comes to looking to nature for help, I'm on board.
Photo: The water fern Salvinia molesta in the University of Oxford Botanic Garden. Credit: Tim Waters.
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