hydrophobic nanotiles by peter yeadon from usa

This inventive design uses drops of water to form pixilated images or texts upon the surfaces of tiles. Specific zones of the surface are treated with a hydrophobic nanocoating that repels water molecules and forces them to form spherical pixels. The specific location and size of each water pixel is controlled by the nanotechnology. The remainder of the surface is treated with a hydrophilic treatment that does not allow the water to bead. Hydrophobic surfaces are readily found in nature, for example they can be observed on the wings of butterflies. These innovative tiles demonstrate one of the many achievements of nanoscience.