<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/just-a-lick-of-paint-cefc-backs-aussie-coating-innovation-to-slash-transport-emissions/>
"An Australian invented technique for coating aircraft and ships with patterns
inspired by nature – such as the surface of shark skin – could be the key to
achieving massive improvements in fuel efficiency and big cuts to global
transport emissions.
According to the inventors of the coating innovation, fuel savings of as much
as 10 per cent could be achieved for aircraft and heavy ships by mimicking the
properties of surfaces found in nature, effectively making the vehicles more
slippery.
The innovation has been made possible through the development of a new 3-D
printing technique, developed by the Sydney-based technology company MicroTau,
which says its ‘Direct Contactless Microfabrication’ process – that it has been
developing for the last six years – is able to reproduce the properties of
materials found on the surfaces of plants and animals.
MicroTau has produced a film coating inspired by the properties of shark skin
that can significantly reduce the drag of aircraft surfaces and improve energy
efficiency. The company estimates that by adding the coating to planes and
ships, it could improve fuel efficiency by as much as 10 per cent.
With the air travel sector spending around $260 billion on fuel in the years
prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, applying the coating to aircraft could deliver
significant reductions in both fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
The innovative coating can be retrofitted to aircraft during routine
maintenance, and MicroTau’s ability to iterate the design of the coating
structures allows the technique to achieve rapid improvements in performance."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
