Nov 02, 2010
— read in fullCan water flow uphill?
By changing the structure of materials, physicists can make water flow up instead of down.
Physicists have discovered that etching channels onto gold and platinum plates gives them a very strange property – they are able to draw water upwards.
Using a laser, scientists etched thin grooves or channels for the liquid to follow into metal plates. The grooves have a rugged texture, which attracts the liquid and helps to draw it to the metal.
This technique has been tested on methanol liquids, which can be drawn at speeds of up to one cm per second.
The action is similar to that used by trees to draw water up the trunk from the roots. It is thought that this development could help in cooling systems for computers.
Your shout!
Can you think of any other uses for this discovery? Share your thoughts by posting a comment using the link below.
I think that this is just what is called capillarity and it is not a new discovery, this effect has been known to science by centuries.
Mario 18-12-11
