Today's Tech News: Notable or Not?

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1140937 "deposit ultrathin polymer film onto surfaces using initiated chemical vapor deposition, forming dense nanostructured aggregates (defects) acting as nucleation seed sites, increasing water droplet formation approximately 3X... then, post-deposition thermal treatment reduces surface adhesion, allowing shedding droplets before growing too large... with copper tubes heat transfers 5.5X better than with conventional surfaces... efficient power plants, industrial desalination plants, high-density electronics cooling"

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1117453 "never-wet surfaces struggle to maintain their properties when exposed to hot water/ steam, as heat often causes protective air layer to collapse... overcome using superhydrophobic multiscale hollow glass microspheric thermal insulation coating... low-cost, scalable, repels droplets as hot as 95°C, durable: lasts >80 hours/ withstands 1 million impacts... improves efficiency/ lifespan of: steam power plants, water desalination facilities, and electronic cooling systems" Related: One-step coating keeps fabrics superhydrophobic after tens of thousands of abrasion cycles https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-coating-fabrics-superhydrophobic-tens-thousands.html Rapid fabrication of superhydrophobic/superaerophilic coatings via flame pyrolysis of PDMS for drag reduction https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1136933 Robust, biomimetic, superhydrophobic coating with flame-retardant properties and excellent self-extinguishing perfo...

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1105371 "focuses a 1036 and a non-integer-related 1300 nm seed wavelength into water, amplifying cooperative nonlinear optical effects: soliton compression, dispersive-wave emission, 4-wave mixing, cross-phase modulation... advances liquid photonics/ ultrafast optics: deep-tissue biophotonics/ bioimaging. aqueous-phase/ ultrafast interfacial spectroscopy, attosecond electron-dynamics studies in water, optical sensing/ nonlinear photonics using water as a platform" Related: New Record: DTU researchers double the range of low-noise "white lasers" in a single fiber https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1139115

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1102963 "pressure repeatedly forces water into/ out of nanoscale pores in water-repellent nanoporous silicon monolith... up to 9% energy conversion efficiency... friction electricity generated at solid silicon/ liquid water interface... no exotic materials... autonomous, maintenance-free sensor systems in applications such as water detection, smart garments for sports and health monitoring, and haptic robotics" Related: Nanoporous Silicon Generates Electricity from Friction with Water https://intranet.tuhh.de/presse/pressemitteilung_einzeln.php?id=14906 HKUST researcher uncovers a new and contact-free form of friction driven by magnetism https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1123809

https://www.miragenews.com/kaist-boosts-lithium-battery-life-750-with-water-1376937/ "electrospinning nanofiber using guar gum, and sole solvent is water... oxidized functional groups regulate interactions with lithium ions... retained 93.3% capacity after 300 charge-discharge cycles... protective layer decomposes entirely within month in soil... suppresses dendrite growth, resulting in lithium metal anodes with unprecedented lifespan characteristics... water-based manufacturing method with biodegradable properties will significantly contribute to the commercialization of next-generation eco-friendly batteries" Related: Asymmetric ether solvents enhance Li-metal battery charging and stability https://techxplore.com/news/2025-02-asymmetric-ether-solvents-li-metal.html#google_vignette Breakthrough in ultra-thin lithium metal anodes opens the era of longer-lasting batteries https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1079936

https://phys.org/news/2024-04-vaporize.html "as water began evaporating, air temperature above surface cooled down, so not due to thermal energy... photomolecular effect: photons liberate entire molecules from liquid surface, effect strongest when light hits water surface at 45° angle, with transverse magnetic polarization, and/ or with green light... optimum color, angle, polarization, evaporation 4X thermal limit... drying consumes 20% industrial energy usage... significantly higher evaporation rates than known thermal mechanism... solar desalinization, material drying"

https://techxplore.com/news/2023-08-bio-inspired-solar-leaf-harvesting-efficiency.html "low cost hybrid generates over 10% more electricity compared conventional solar... no pumps, fans, control units or expensive porous materials... generate clean water and thermal energy... at ambient temperature and solar conditions... natural fibers mimic leaf vein bundles, hydrogels simulate sponge cells, removes heat from solar cells" Related: Achieving Solar-Thermal-Electro Integration Evaporator Nine-Grid Array with Asymmetric Strategy for Simultaneous Harvesting Clean Water and Electricity https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202303815 Nanodevices can produce energy from evaporating tap or seawater https://phys.org/news/2024-03-nanodevices-energy-evaporating-seawater.html Hydrogel coating for solar panels boosts power generation efficiency https://techxplore.com/news/2026-01-hydrogel-coating-solar-panels-boosts.html

https://techxplore.com/news/2023-03-resource-saving-glass-foil-roofing-vertical-retention.html "utilizes inner roof of mobile, translucent and IR-reflective fabric... saves 75% material weight... improves construction, material transport and assembly... allows up to 95% of light pass through... circulating air between glass pane and film, interconnects with building air... in winter defrosting snow or ice loads or for thermal insulation... roof drainage system with water-storing core made of recycled bricks, sand-lime bricks and/ or aerated concrete, enabling evaporative cooling" Related: Study explores ways to make PVC windows warmer and add recyclable components https://techxplore.com/news/2023-10-explores-ways-pvc-windows-warmer.html New Technique Prints Metal Oxide Thin Film Circuits at Room Temperature https://www.xatakaon.com/energy/the-alternative-to-air-conditioning-doesnt-require-electricity-all-you-need-is-clay-and-a-good-design A Piece of Glass Thinner Than a C...

https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/10.0015389 "high concentration solution sodium iodide in water sprayed from nozzle as thin sheet... liquid excited with powerful blue laser... switch functioned at terahertz frequencies... water for short time behaves almost like metal... signal comparable to ones from solid-state material... could someday enable much faster computing, and water-based technology could offer a more environmentally-friendly alternative to rare-earth metals"