MIT researchers find that lubricated, nanotextured surfaces improved performance of condensers in power and desalination plants.
On a surface patterned with tiny pillars (white squares), and with a coating of a lubricant liquid that fills the spaces between the pillars, dome-shaped droplets of water condense but remain free to move quickly across the surface, unlike on conventional flat surfaces or ones with just the patterning, where they tend to stay stuck in place. The new surface treatment could provide a significant boost for power plants, water desalination and other applications. Image courtesy of the Varanasi Laboratory