Yoo Jaewon (ME) developed a way to simply produce superhydrophobic surfaces that bounce off water molecules and not absorb them, under guidance of Professor Kim Dong Sung (ME) and postdoctoral researcher Choi Dongwhi (ME).
Pre-existing methods have been criticized for requiring expensive machines or toxic chemicals along with a complicated process. The newly developed method uses salt and water, materials readily available, in an eco-friendly and relatively simple process.
The team used salt water etching process by sprinkling salt over polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface, solidified it, and then melted it again in water to leave various structures of different particle size.
The thesis was published in Applied Surface Science. Yoo Jaewon is listed as the co-author along with Prof. Choi.