Superhydrophobic surfaces of the water bug Notonecta glauca: a model for friction reduction and air retention

• Petra Ditsche-Kuru,
• Erik S. Schneider,
• Jan-Erik Melskotte,
• Martin Brede,
• Alfred Leder and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 137–144, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.17

• extremely interesting as a biomimetic model for low friction fluid transport or drag reduction on ship hulls. Keywords: air film; aquatic insects; backswimmer; drag reduction; superhydrophobic surfaces; Introduction Superhydrophobic surfaces are of great economic interest because of their amazing

• film for a longer time period [19][24][25]. Very high air film persistence was observed on the water bug Notonecta glauca under hydrostatic conditions on their elytra [24]. Based on this comparative study about the correlation of surface morphology and air film persistence on different semi-aquatic

• insects, we chose Notonecta glauca as the model organism for further investigations on air film persistence and drag reduction. The backswimmer Notonecta glauca is surrounded by a thin film of air covering most body parts and causing a silvery sheen (Figure 1). Notonecta spp. can dive and swim quickly