Story Tip
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This is a story idea from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. To arrange for an interview with a researcher, please contact the Communications and External Relations staff member identified at the end of the tip.
Materials - Virtually friction free
Ships of tomorrow could glide through the water with less energy because of a technology developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Pittsburgh. By coating grooves called riblets with superhydrophobic material, researchers can encase ship hulls in a pinned layer of air, allowing them to race through the waves faster while using about half the fuel. Superhydrophobic riblets could impact a wide variety of applications that involve water by decreasing the drag force. The paper was published in the Proceedings of the ASME 2012 International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition. Written by Jennifer Brouner
Contact: Ron Walli; 865.576.0226; wallira@ornl.gov
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