Hydrophobic material question

[Traab]

Ok, im assuming everyone has seen the various videos where various hydrophobic materials can make water do all sorts of odd things in the need to stay away from it, but I had an odd thought. Lets say you made the whole floor hydrophobic. Lets further say that I walked through a puddle before reaching that part of the floor. Will my wet feet be shoved off like a magnetic push? Will I have less traction because the water on my shoes is trying to move away from me? Will I just flat out never notice a damn thing as the water I leave behind from each step beads up and rolls away?

[Ravens_cry]

Less traction, certainly. No, you would not float, well, except as much as you normally do.

[sktarq]

mostly-you'd have less traction. At the more extreme end of hydrophobic materials the water would be pushed up into the pattern and sides of your shoes. You'd have a nifty little ring of wetness around the side of the sole.

[Traab]

Ah ok cool. I figured less traction was the most likely, with it ranging from barely less to noticeably less but I wasnt sure just how strong the repelling power is with that stuff.

[Karoht]

I can't wait to get my hands on enough hydrophobic graphene to cover my car.
My car will be mud proof, water proof, and most importantly, bullet proof. Well, more like bullet resistant, but you get the idea.

[factotum]

I can't wait to get my hands on enough hydrophobic graphene to cover my car.
My car will be mud proof, water proof, and most importantly, bullet proof.

I wouldn't cover the tyres as well if I were you--the wet weather handling might be, well, *interesting*. :smallwink:

[Jimorian]

You're taking the "repelling" part of the description too literally. All it means is that the material doesn't absorb liquid. The very same would be true of a glass floor. The beading part of its quality relates to what they mean by "repel", but becomes irrelevant when there's enough liquid to completely cover the material or enough force is applied (like the weight of a person in a shoe).

It is possible for you to hydroplane if the floor surface is smooth enough, and that's what can happen with glass easily enough, which is why it's a treacherous surface to walk on when wet. Same would be true for a treated floor.


I wouldn't cover the tyres as well if I were you--the wet weather handling might be, well, *interesting*. :smallwink:

The rubber/vinyl treatment product ArmourAll actually has a warning about applying it to tire tread for just this reason.

[Karoht]

I wouldn't cover the tyres as well if I were you--the wet weather handling might be, well, *interesting*. :smallwink:Hubcaps/Rims maybe, tires = no.

And rims is even iffy. It could prevent the tires from sealing to the rims if I apply it wrong.

[Dr. Bath]

Technically whether or not a material is hydrophobic is not dependent on absorption per se, although obviously hydrophobic materials don't absorb water. A hydrophobic material (at least whenever I've studied it) is defined as one which has a contact angle with water of greater than 90 degrees. Super hydrophobic materials (which are the ones people are really interested in) need the contact angle to be over 120 degrees. Basically you'll just have lots of beads of water shoot out from under your shoes most likely as a surface/air interface is less energetic than a surface/liquid interface and therefore preferable. Or you'll aquaplane like some others have said.

Take this with a pinch of salt though, I've not studied this for a few years.

[Kato]

From my point of view I'll have to agree with the Dr.
If the floor is that hydrophobic it will result in the water getting away from it and either shooting up four foot or wildly around until it finds something less hydrophobic but I see little impact on the friction, since it will try not to touch the floor and your shoes/socks/feet likely won't be as hydrophobic, and therefore just get out of the way. The it boils down to how well your feet and the floor connect.

[Ravens_cry]

From my point of view I'll have to agree with the Dr.
If the floor is that hydrophobic it will result in the water getting away from it and either shooting up four foot or wildly around until it finds something less hydrophobic but I see little impact on the friction, since it will try not to touch the floor and your shoes/socks/feet likely won't be as hydrophobic, and therefore just get out of the way. The it boils down to how well your feet and the floor connect.
You think having little beads of water shooting out underfoot isn't going to affect your footing?

[Kato]

You think having little beads of water shooting out underfoot isn't going to affect your footing?

No, it's more the water that is under your foot when you try to stand that's important, I think. Of course it depends on how fast you try to move bu I feel a hydrophobic material has a much lesser chance of causing any aqua planing effects (or whatever they are called in English, sorry)

[Frozen_Feet]

It'd be like walking on marbles, more or less, if the water gets trapped under your soles. Beyond that, the water would follow path of least resistance, and you would soon have dry feet.

[sktarq]

It'd be like walking on marbles, more or less, if the water gets trapped under your soles. Beyond that, the water would follow path of least resistance, and you would soon have dry feet.

Depends....If you are standing mostly still and rocking or moving your weight about (like working at a desk) then yes. Water that has hid in the tread and imperfections of the soles of your feet would work its way out from under the feet. Now since the FLOOR is what is hydrophobic in the set up then water would collect around sides of objects touching the ground. The sides of the shoes being the most available. If you are walking however then every time you pick up your feet then the water that is attached to the sides or tread of the shoe would spread out again and in re-beading and moving as the foot comes back in contact with the hydrophobic floor would disrupt the balance and traction of putting ones foot down. So how dry one's feet would get would depend on how much water your shoe edges and treads can hold to when the water doesn't want to leave them for the floor. Which would probably have lots to do with tread depth, smoothness of the rubber-and thus age of the shoe, edge material, shape etc.