POTSDAM -- Clarkson University Professor Sergiy Minko,has high expectations for a process that allows material to become wet or to repel all liquids.

These properties are achieved by using a magnetic field. Something that ordinarily would soak up something wet can be transformed so that no liquid -- water, oil or chemicals -- can dampen it.

This could mean things such as guaranteed stain prevention for clothing. On a more serious level, the military can use the process to make protective clothing in case of chemical warfare. For commercial uses, it can assure smudge-free touch-screen surfaces and prevent leaks when transporting liquids, among many possible applications.

It can be used in the transport of liquid such as gasoline or oil, in protective clothing, such as a uniform when working with biological agents, spores and chemicals. Another use can be for miniaturized optical devices and sensors. A flat-screen display or cell phone collects fingerprints that eventually degrade the surface, but with this, Minko said, "we create a more robust material."

Minko's work is under the auspices of Clarkson's Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP). Its mandate is to develop innovations in advanced materials processing and to transfer this technology to business and industry. On any given day, Minko has a number of projects underway, involving fine particles, polymer materials, bio materials and more.