Scientists have found a way to make a viscous liquid flow 10 times faster than water

Finnish scientists conducted an unusual experiment by covering the walls of a tube with a superhydrophobic film and found that liquids flow through such a tube the faster the higher their viscosity. Today I want to tell you about this unusual experiment.

Viscosity and liquid

We all know very well that the more viscous a liquid has, the slower it flows over some surface. For clarity, compare ordinary water and viscous honey.

Only in the vessels (capillaries), the inner walls of which are covered with a superhydrophobic film, everything changes upside down. And there liquids with high viscosity flow much faster.

Scientists wrote a whole work about this unusual effect, which they shared on the pages of the journal Science Advances.

How is this possible

The principle of this effect is as follows:

It is known that superhydrophobic coatings are not wetted by various liquids due to the unique microstructure of the surface. Indeed, in most cases, they are an array of miniature cones (elongated to the tip) and cavities with air remain between them (cones).

For this reason, on such a surface, the drop does not touch the surface and, as it were, “hovers” above it. At the same time, it retains its shape and easily rolls off such a surface under its own weight.

And on flat surfaces everything happens naturally and even ordinary - the more viscous the liquid, the slower it flows.

If the same drop is placed in a capillary with inner walls treated with the same composition, the situation changes. The drop seems to hang in an air cushion.

And in this case, the following pattern is valid: the higher the viscosity, the thicker the air layer is surrounded by a drop of such a liquid. It is due to this effect that such a drop begins to move at a higher speed than a drop with a lower viscosity in the same vessel.

This effect manifests itself most clearly when comparing water and glycerin. It was found that in capillaries glycerin moved 10 times faster than water. This is despite the fact that glycerin is 1000 times more viscous than water.

Where this knowledge will come in handy

The results of these experiments can be useful in two areas at once: medicine and oil refining. After all, both there and there, in order to accelerate the movement of liquids in vessels (pipes), the pressure is increased.

And this does not pass without leaving a trace and negatively affects the walls (vessels) of the pipes. Perhaps the effect discovered by scientists will reduce negative factors and increase the efficiency of industrial production, in particular.

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