Scientists have developed a material so liquid-repellent it can make molten tin bounce of it before it has a chance to solidify.
A materials ability to repel liquids all depends on how fast it can make droplets bounce off as well as how symmetrical they are.
By examining materials in nature known for these properties such as certain leaves and the wings of butterflies, researchers were able to refine materials.
The team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology took an already existing material and added tiny ridges 0.1 millimetres high on the surface.
These forced the drops to bounce asymmetrically so the recoil time was reduced.
After filming drops of water with a high-speed camera they found they had decreased it by 37%.
They then repeated the experiment with the molten tin.