Biomimetics on the micro- and nanoscale – The 25th anniversary of the lotus effect

• Matthias Mail,
• Kerstin Koch,
• Thomas Speck,
• William M. Megill and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 850–856, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.69

• breadth of biological knowledge is still the foundation on which biomimetics is built. The paper by Mail et al. [17] “Dry under water: air retaining properties of large-scale elastomer foils covered with mushroom-shaped surface microstructures” focuses on superhydrophobic surfaces, not only on water

• repellency, but also on the capability of some surfaces to keep stable air layers under water – the so-called Salvinia Effect. Such air layers are of great importance for drag reduction (passive air lubrication), antifouling, sensor applications, or oil–water separation. Up to now, based on the

Roll-to-roll fabrication of superhydrophobic pads covered with nanofur for the efficient clean-up of oil spills

• Patrick Weiser,
• Robin Kietz,
• Marc Schneider,
• Matthias Worgull and
• Hendrik Hölscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1228–1239, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.102

• increases with this parameter. The PP nanofur absorbed 185 g/m2 of Azolla 32 and 561 g/m2 of Carter EP320. We conclude that the overall water repellency and oil absorption capacity of the R2R-fabricated nanofur film is in the same range as for nanofur fabricated with the traditional hot-pulling process in a

Topochemical engineering of composite hybrid fibers using layered double hydroxides and abietic acid

• Liji Sobhana,
• Lokesh Kesavan,
• Jan Gustafsson and
• Pedro Fardim

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 589–605, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.60

• these materials show different properties with regard to water repellency, oil absorption, tensile strength, and optical brightness. Composing renewable materials such as cellulose and abietic acid for customized product development is in the line of interests of circular-economy initiatives implemented

Surfactant-induced enhancement of droplet adhesion in superhydrophobic soybean (Glycine max L.) leaves

• Oliver Hagedorn,
• Ingo Fleute-Schlachter,
• Hans Georg Mainx,
• Viktoria Zeisler-Diehl and
• Kerstin Koch

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2345–2356, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.234

• formation of a secondary structure on top of the convex epidermal cells, the interfacial contact area between the water droplet and the leaf surface is notably reduced, thus usually leading to extreme water repellency [39][40]. In contrast to other superhydrophobic plant surfaces like the lotus leaf

Collembola cuticles and the three-phase line tension

• Håkon Gundersen,
• Hans Petter Leinaas and
• Christian Thaulow

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1714–1722, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.172

• scale [5]; this makes Collembola cuticle structures easily reproducible, as well as more resilient against mechanical wear [7]. While the water repellency of Collembola has long been described in general, macroscopic terms, a specific mechanical explanation has been lacking. Cassie and Baxter described

The cleaner, the greener? Product sustainability assessment of the biomimetic façade paint Lotusan^® in comparison to the conventional façade paint Jumbosil^®

• Florian Antony,
• Rainer Grießhammer,
• Thomas Speck and
• Olga Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 2100–2115, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.200

• climatization of the building. However, in this case moisture may penetrate quicker and deeper into the construction, eventually resulting in serious damage to the building structure, especially in regions with higher amounts of precipitation. Secondly, those paints focusing on hydrophobicity or water

• -repellency to build up a secure barrier against the penetration of moisture into deeper layers of the building. In this case sufficient gas permeability needs to be secured. Lotusan® was compared to a paint showing the same functional principle, providing a solid basis for the comparison of products. Because

Superhydrophobicity in perfection: the outstanding properties of the lotus leaf

• Hans J. Ensikat,
• Petra Ditsche-Kuru,
• Christoph Neinhuis and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 152–161, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.19

• become an icon for superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning surfaces, and have led to the concept of the ‘Lotus effect’. Although many other plants have superhydrophobic surfaces with almost similar contact angles, the lotus shows better stability and perfection of its water repellency. Here, we compare the

• are the basis for the perfection and durability of the water repellency. A reason for the optimization, particularly of the upper side of the lotus leaf, can be deduced from the fact that the stomata are located in the upper epidermis. Here, the impact of rain and contamination is higher than on the

• lower epidermis. The lotus plant has successfully developed an excellent protection for this delicate epistomatic surface of its leaves. Keywords: epicuticular wax; leaf surface; Lotus effect; papillae; water repellency; Introduction Since the introduction of the ‘Lotus concept’ in 1992 [1][2], the