Surface microstructures of daisy florets (Asteraceae) and characterization of their anisotropic wetting

The surface microstructures on ray florets of 62 species were characterized and compared with modern phylogenetic data of species affiliation in Asteraceae to determine sculptural patterns and their occurrence in the tribes of Asteraceae. Their wettability was studied to identify structural-induced...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bioinspiration & biomimetics 2013-09, Vol.8 (3), p.036005-036005
Main Authors: Koch, Kerstin, Bennemann, Michael, Bohn, Holger F, Albach, Dirk C, Barthlott, Wilhelm
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
anisotropic wetting
Anisotropy
Asteraceae
Asteraceae - chemistry
Asteraceae - classification
Asteraceae - ultrastructure
droplet adhesion
Flowers - chemistry
Flowers - classification
Flowers - ultrastructure
phylogeny
Plant Epidermis - chemistry
Plant Epidermis - classification
Plant Epidermis - ultrastructure
ray florets
scanning electron microscopy
Species Specificity
Surface Properties
Water - chemistry
Wettability
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Summary:The surface microstructures on ray florets of 62 species were characterized and compared with modern phylogenetic data of species affiliation in Asteraceae to determine sculptural patterns and their occurrence in the tribes of Asteraceae. Their wettability was studied to identify structural-induced droplet adhesion, which can be used for the development of artificial surfaces for water harvesting and passive surface water transport. The wettability was characterized by contact angle (CA) and tilt angle measurements, performed on fresh ray florets and their epoxy resin replica. The CAs on ray florets varied between 104° and 156°, but water droplets did not roll off when surface was tilted at 90°. Elongated cell structures and cuticle folding orientated in the same direction as the cell elongation caused capillary forces, leading to anisotropic wetting, with extension of water droplets along the length axis of epidermis cells. The strongest elongation of the droplets was also supported by a parallel, cell-overlapping cuticle striation. In artificial surfaces made of epoxy replica of ray florets, this effect was enhanced. The distribution of the identified four structural types exhibits a strong phylogenetic signal and allows the inference of an evolutionary trend in the modification of floret epidermal cells.
ISSN:1748-3182
1748-3190
DOI:10.1088/1748-3182/8/3/036005