Story highlights Scientists are developing a metal that repels water

There are lots of applications, including kitchenware, sanitation

(CNN) Water often damages metals, causing rust, wear and decay.

Thanks to an innovative laser process, however, metal is getting its revenge.

University of Rochester scientists Chunlei Guo and Anatoliy Vorobyev have developed a technique using extremely precise laser patterns that renders metals superhydrophobic: in other words, incredibly water-repellent.

Imagine a much more powerful Teflon -- except that Guo and Vorobyev's material isn't a coating but part of the metal itself. Water actually bounces off the surface and rolls away.

The possibilities are many, Guo says. Kitchenware, of course. Airplanes: No more worrying about de-icing, because water won't be able to freeze on aircraft in the first place.

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