LiquiGlide is a unique technology that prevents liquids from sticking to solids. Find out everything you need to know about LiquiGlide today.
What Is LiquiGlide?
LiquiGlide is a molecular technology that reduces the friction between viscous liquids and solid surfaces.
You know how when you get to the last few drops of a ketchup bottle, and you can’t get any more ketchup out of the bottle? You know how all the ketchup sticks to the sides of the bottle? LiquiGlide wants to solve that problem.
In 2015, LiquiGlide signed a deal with Elmer’s Products (yes, the glue company) to use LiquiGlide in their products. Instead of having half the glue stick to the inside of the bottle, Elmer’s wanted to ensure customers were getting the maximum amount of glue from every bottle.
Who Made LiquiGlide?
LiquiGlide was made by a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) under the Varanasi Research Group, led by Professor Kripa Varanasi.
In 2012, LiquiGlide won the Audience Choice Award at the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition. It also came in second place in the Business Plan Contest.
After creating the technology, researchers and students theorized that it could be used in applications like improving the flow rate of condiment bottles (thereby reducing food waste) or preventing clogs in gas and oil tubes.
To demonstrate their technology, researchers released videos of LiquiGlide being used to prevent liquids like ketchup, mayonnaise, jelly, and mustard from sticking to plastic or glass bottles.
How Does LiquiGlide Work?
LiquiGlide consists of a coating applied to a surface. If you’re trying to reduce food wastage in a ketchup bottle, for example, then the coating would be applied to the inside of the glass or plastic bottle.
The coatings, in the words of LiquiGlide’s official website, “are custom designed to be hyper slippery and permanently wet, using materials that are safe for each specific application”.
If the coating is being used in a condiment bottle, for example, then the coating would be made entirely from food-safe materials.
The coating has the additional benefit of being “self-healing”, which means that the liquid will “naturally fill and cover any scratches that are made in the surface”.
LiquiGlide works using a textured surface filled with impregnating liquids. This impregnating liquid fills in the spaces between the features. The liquid is held in place within the texture, creating a slippery and liquid surface.
In layman’s terms, LiquiGlide uses a ridged surface filled with superhydrophobic liquid to prevent viscous liquids from sticking to the sides.
Because of this unique technology, LiquiGlide has been granted 6 US patents, and there are over 150 patent applications pending around the world. The company describes itself as having a “strong international IP footprint” for LiquiGlide.
What’s The Difference Between LiquiGlide And Other Hydrophobic Technologies?
Obviously, LiquiGlide isn’t the only technology designed to increase the flow rate of viscous liquids. There are plenty of competitors in the hydrophobic and superhydrophobic world.
What’s the difference between LiquiGlide and alternative hydrophobic (or superhydrophobic) products?
Well, LiquiGlide claims to be superior because it doesn’t degrade over time. While other hydrophobic coatings degrade and become less effective, LiquiGlide remains the same due to its self-healing properties.
Typically, superhydrophobic coatings work using a highly-textured surface. The makers of LiquiGlide describe it as “like a lotus leaf”. That textured surface creates a cushion of air for the product (the viscous liquid) to sit on. This works okay at first, but over time, the surface will break down and will no longer be slippery.
LiquiGlide, on the other hand, is described as a multi-layer, liquid-impregnated surface. Instead of just using a textured surface, it uses a textured surface with a liquid over top. The liquid is permanently held in place within the textures, so the surface continues to be slippery over a long period of time.
To get in touch with LiquiGlide, Inc., email [email protected].
The company is based in Cambridge, MA. You can learn more about LiquiGlide and the unique technology here.
