Toss water on a hot pan and it sizzles and evaporates. Toss water on a really hot pan, and the water beads up and starts roaming around. Now, turn your hot pan into a hot small staircase and watch the water climb the stairs. Researchers did just that, taking an everyday sighting in the kitchen to a new level in the lab.
When scientists heated a piece of brass with sawtooth ridges — a thing that looks like a ratchet — water drops traveled quickly, and in one direction: up.
With the newfound trick, drops could potentially pump themselves, using heat that's already there. "Pumps that don't use moving parts are simpler to make, cheaper and live longer," Linke pointed out. If the droplet pumps prove strong enough, Linke said they could be cooling computers in about six years. ...Read more and watch movie here
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