In a 2007–08 laboratory study, researchers showed that an electrically tunable surface could repel several liquids without voltage and become wettable when voltage was applied. The surface—nicknamed “nanonails”—reached contact angles as high as 150°, but this was a demonstration of liquid control at small scales, not a non-stick coating for cookware.
What did the switch actually do?
A. Ahuja and colleagues reported a surface that moved from a superlyophobic, or strongly liquid-repellent, state toward almost complete wetting after electrical input. In the paper’s abstract, they write: “Upon application of an electrical voltage, a transition from the superlyophobic state to wetting is observed.” The study appeared in Langmuir.
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A contact angle describes the shape of a liquid droplet where it meets a surface: a higher angle means the droplet beads up more, while a lower angle means it spreads. With no voltage, the researchers measured angles as high as 150° for the liquids they tested. Applying voltage changed the surface’s wetting behavior, offering a way to control where liquid spreads rather than simply making a surface permanently repellent.
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How were the “nanonails” built?
The University of Wisconsin–Madison described the surface as a forest of conductive silicon shanks topped with non-conducting silicon oxide heads. The capped, nail-like structures create the surface geometry behind the nickname. When current was applied, liquid could pass the heads and spread between the shanks, wetting the surface.
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This is a structured surface whose wetting behavior is electrically controlled—not a conventional coating that works like a kitchen pan’s non-stick layer. The distinction matters: the study addressed how small amounts of liquid interact with a fabricated surface, not food release, cleaning, or heat resistance.
Which liquids were tested, and what did the numbers mean?
The paper reported tests spanning liquids with surface tensions from 21.8 mN/m for ethanol to 72.0 mN/m for water. The contact angle reached as high as 150° in the unpowered, repellent state. These are reported laboratory results for the study’s tested liquids and surface, not a guarantee that every liquid or real-world contaminant would behave the same way.
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The paper was published online on October 12, 2007, and appeared in the January 1, 2008 issue of Langmuir, volume 24, issue 1, pages 9–14. PubMed’s record provides the bibliographic details.
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Changing a surface from repellent to wettable could help manipulate small liquid volumes in devices such as lab-on-a-chip systems. The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s January 29, 2008 report also mentioned batteries as a possible application. These were prospects discussed at the time, not evidence that nanonails became commercial products or are used in current devices.
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The result’s significance is the control principle: electrical input can change how liquid interacts with a specially engineered surface. It does not establish a ready-made product, a consumer coating, or performance in applications beyond the reported experiments.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the study does—and does not—establish
- Demonstrated: electrically tunable wetting on a laboratory-fabricated surface, with reported contact angles up to 150° without voltage and tests covering ethanol-to-water surface tensions.
- Not established by these reports: household or cookware use, commercial availability, long-term durability, or a present-day deployment in lab-on-a-chip devices or batteries.
For the original experimental claims, see Ahuja and colleagues’ paper. The historical structural description and suggested applications are in the University of Wisconsin–Madison report.
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