Seiken Okada

April 2015

Essaye 4. On the topic of Liquiglide (draft((title pending)))

Ever get frustrated at the end of those Danimals yogurt containers when you cant
reach the dredges at the bottom? It feels bad to leave waste like that but only the bravest souls
can wash it out with water. It was a good thing they were discontinued. This is not the only
product guilty of having inefficient packaging, however. Its all brands of yogurt plus ketchups
and mayonnaise, though a few ounces of condiments wont be missed in truth. Introducing
LiquiGlide, created by Dave Smith and peers at MITs Varanasi Research Group in hopes of
making the Earth a greener place for everyone (Carr). LiquiGlide is a revolutionary coating that
will make any liquid unable to resist its slipperiness. Volunteers asked to compare a bottle of
shampoo with and without coating were very pleased with what they found. To hear one
anonymous toddler describe it, nothing gets stuck to the bottom. I like it, another potential
consumer tittered (LiquiGlide Consumer).
Now, you may ask what the hubbub is over a last few ticks of tomato sauce. What you
didnt know is over a million tons of condiments are thrown out each year if only because no
amount of shaking would get you that last bit of mustard, say. It will also get rid of clogs in
medical tubes and stents. Apparently lubrication can save lives. Wait a minute, if it makes
packaging more efficient, wouldnt ketchup companies lose money? Smith tells us the opposite
actually happens. If consumers can get to the bottom of a toothpaste tube faster, they will buy
earlier too (FAQs). Hence everyone profits.
The technology behind it can get complicated and Smith is unwilling to show all his
cards but he gave us a few clues. First off, conventional coatings work by trapping air pockets
between the surface and liquid to lessen friction. LiquiGlide does all this but it will prevent the
pockets from getting filled. Further, it does not associate with the liquid, making the surface
durable, resistant to aerodynamic assault, and unfazed in a vacuum (Shultz). You got me, it
was a varnish all along. An edible varnish. The best part about it is water will slide across at a
rate 10,000x faster. Im thinking no more shopping for windshield wipers. From his patent,
Smith describes it as an impregnating liquid that fills interstitial spaces on a surface and blocks
bubbles from forming. It is superhydrophobic with a roll off angle less than one degree. That
makes it circular, as shown below.

Figure 1 (Clegg)

The Figure on the left has bubbles in it, see. The one on the right we can assume has
been treated with LiquiGlide.

In the case of beer, bubbles that form on the surface of the container will gradually kill its fizz.
By impregnating its every hole the shelf life of not just beer but all carbonated drinks can be
extended. The Figure on the right has been coated and is super pregnant (Smith, Jonathan).

Although LiquiGlide will not be sold by itself, products that use it will be sold Soon. A
potential customer is paint companies, according to India Energy News (LiquiGlide Coating).
There is a lot of waste and danger in painting. Within a year, people will no longer have paint
that dries in the container or unexpectedly on nearby equipment. It will also last longer, as
mentioned above. All in all, paint usage will become more efficient, resulting in less paint loss
and pollution.
Last month, LiquiGlide Inc. received a 7 million dollar funding from Roadmap Capital,
an investment company. They have since moved into a new laboratory and hope to launch a
commercial enterprise from there (LiquiGlide Announces). In the past, they have also won
100k for getting 2nd place at MITs Entrepreneurship Competition.

Note: Yes I know I need more content to meet the requirements. #Godblessdrafts

Works Cited
Clegg, Carl. Damaged_superhydrophobic_surface. Digital image. Ram-hart Instrument Co. 1
Sept. 2014. Web.
Carr, Austin. "MIT's Freaky Non-Stick Coating Keeps Ketchup Flowing." Co.Exist. 24 May
2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
"FAQs | LiquiGlide." LiquiGlide. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
"LiquiGlide Announces $7 Million in Funding From Roadmap Capital, New, State-of-Art
Laboratory." India Energy News. (March 9, 2015 Monday 6:30 AM EST ): 545 words.
LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2015/04/28.
"LiquiGlide Coating for Paint Eliminates a Sticky Problem." India Energy News. (April 23, 2014
Wednesday 6:30 AM EST ): 485 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed:
2015/04/28.
"LiquiGlide Consumer Survey." YouTube. YouTube, 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.
Shultz, George Pratt. Game Changers Energy on the Move. Stanford, Calif.: Hoover Institution,
Stanford U, 2014. 144. Print.
Smith, Jonathan David, Colin Gounden, and Jose Yague. "METHODS AND ARTICLES FOR
LIQUID-IMPREGNATED SURFACES FOR THE INHIBITION OF VAPOR OR GAS
NUCLEATION." U.S. Patent No. 20,140,314,991. 23 Oct. 2014.
.