Microscopic patterns found on many plants and animals have functional properties that have evolved over millions of years. For example, sharks have thousands of microscopic overlapping ‘scales’ that reduce drag, allowing them to glide swiftly and silently through the water. Developed initially for the US Air Force, MicroTau’s drag reduction products have the potential to reduce the tens of billions of dollars spent each year on aircraft and shipping fuel.
MicroTau’s innovative Direct Contactless Microfabrication (DCM) technique turns these functional microstructures into UV curable coatings that can be applied to many surfaces, from aeroplanes to ships. Not only can MicroTau reproduce drag-reducing structures, but they are also investigating anti-fouling, anti-bacterial, and optical structures.
Microscopy Australia’s facilities have played a key role in the development of this technology, and they continue to play a role as MicroTau develops new microstructures and techniques. Fellow NCRIS facility the Australian National Fabrication Facility have also been instrumental in development of this technology.
At our University of Sydney facility, MicroTau are collaborating with Prof. Chiara Neto and her research team to test new microstructures for anti-fouling of ships. Anti-fouling involves inhibiting the growth of marine life, such as barnacles, on the hulls of ships, that increase drag and therefore fuel costs. Our scanning electron microscopes were used to examine and compare different hydrophobic structures, which were tested for their ability to reduce the attachment of marine bacteria. In 2023, a full time PhD student was engaged to enable this ongoing collaboration.
Scanning electron microscope image of MicroTau's riblets, taken at Microscopy Australia's University of Sydney facility.
April 17, 2023
