Mool Gupta, Samuel P. Langley Professor in the Charles L. Brown Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Univ. of Virginia, is conducting research on the “lotus effect” which allows the leaves of the lotus plant to repel water and remain clean, and how such a property could be harnessed to improve several processes, including the capture of solar energy and removal of ice from aircraft.
His project, "Replication of Laser-Generated Surface Textures for Anti-Icing and Sunlight-Trapping Applications," involves laser micro-texturing of surfaces and low-cost replication to provide superhydrophobic properties similar to the lotus effect.
The project, for which Gupta is the lead investigator, is among 21 selected for the inaugural class of National Science Foundation Innovation Corps, or "I-Corps," awards.
The other project members are Paul Caffrey, a doctoral candidate under Gupta's supervision, and Martin Skelly of Charleston, S.C., a veteran of banking in the former Soviet Union who serves as business mentor and is actively involved in new business investments.
For information, visit the NSF website www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/.