Superhydrophobicity with High Adhesion
8 May 2008, 15:05
Categories: superhydrophobicphilic bionanotech--nanobiotech
Scientist from Tsinghua University Beijing, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jilin University Beijing, and the Chinese National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, have examined biological micro- and nanostructures that enable organisms to exhibit unusual self-cleaning characteristics (i.e., the lotus-effect). They recently reported that the petals of a red rose contain a close array of micropapillae. Each papillae consists of many nanoscale folds, which provides sufficient roughness for superhydrophobicity (wherein a water droplet has a contact angle with the surface that is greater than 150º). Interestingly, the water droplets that bead up upon the surface of the petala are spherical in shape, but cannot roll off, even when the petal is turned upside down. They are calling this phenomenon the petal effect.
Posted by: The Editors
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