Engineering slick solutions for sticky problems

The natural world has many tricks to teach us about efficiency and design. Take the carnivorous pitcher plant: Its super slippery surface acts like a slide for unsuspecting ants that can't stop themselves from sliding right into the plant and becoming dinner. At Penn State University, mechanical engineer Tak-Sing Wong is using the pitcher plant as inspiration for a range of new materials that could one day solve some of society's stickiest problems. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Wong and his team are developing materials known as slippery-liquid infused porous surfaces, or SLIPS. SLIPS can be made of liquid Teflon� and chemically customized for different applications, such as biocompatible for medical devices or highly durable for the hull of a ship. Wong says the possibilities are endless, from keeping walls clear of graffiti to keeping aircraft free of ice. His long-term goal is to address some of the grand challenges in the 21st century in the areas of water, energy and health.