Patterned Superhydrophobic Surfaces:  Toward a Synthetic Mimic of the Namib Desert Beetle

The present study demonstrates a surface structure that mimics the water harvesting wing surface of the Namib Desert beetle. Hydrophilic patterns on superhydrophobic surfaces were created with water/2-propanol solutions of a polyelectrolyte to produce surfaces with extreme hydrophobic contrast. Sele...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nano letters 2006-06, Vol.6 (6), p.1213-1217
Main Authors: Zhai, Lei, Berg, Michael C, Cebeci, Fevzi Ç, Kim, Yushan, Milwid, John M, Rubner, Michael F, Cohen, Robert E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
2-Propanol - chemistry
Acrylic Resins - chemistry
Animals
Biomimetic Materials - chemistry
Coleoptera - chemistry
Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties
Crystallization - methods
Electrolytes - chemistry
Electron, ion, and scanning probe microscopy
Exact sciences and technology
Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
Materials Testing
Nanostructures - chemistry
Nanostructures - ultrastructure
Physics
Polyamines - chemistry
Solutions
Structure and morphology
thickness
Structure of solids and liquids
crystallography
Surface Properties
Surfaces and interfaces
thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties)
Thin film structure and morphology
Water - chemistry
Wings, Animal - chemistry
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Summary:The present study demonstrates a surface structure that mimics the water harvesting wing surface of the Namib Desert beetle. Hydrophilic patterns on superhydrophobic surfaces were created with water/2-propanol solutions of a polyelectrolyte to produce surfaces with extreme hydrophobic contrast. Selective deposition of multilayer films onto the hydrophilic patterns introduces different properties to the area including superhydrophilicity. Potential applications of such surfaces include water harvesting surfaces, controlled drug release coatings, open-air microchannel devices, and lab-on-chip devices.
ISSN:1530-6984
1530-6992
DOI:10.1021/nl060644q