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Lotus Nanotech

Posted by Hemos on from the so-nanotech-eaters dept.

Makarand writes "The lotus, a flowering plant native to Asia whose waxy leaves repel water droplets and particles of dirt, is teaching nanotechnologists a thing or two. Scientists at BASF have found that the lotus plant surfaces have a coating of wax crystals around 1 nm in diameter. This roughness on the nanometer scale helps the plant surface to reduce the actual contact area to 2-3% of the droplet covered area making its surfaces superhydrophobic. If the surface is slanting, the droplet rolls off, instead of sliding off, picking up small particles of dirt on the way giving a "self-cleaning" effect. BASF is now working on an aerosol spray to coat a surface with such a self-cleaning nanostructure. The self cleaning shoe might soon be a reality."

8 of 161 comments (clear)

  1. Self cleaning shoes? by Sam+the+Nemesis · · Score: 4, Insightful

    For this thing to work as in lotus, shoes will need water droplets to be sprayed on them.

  2. Re:self cleaning windows by Ninja+Master+Gara · · Score: 3, Insightful
    That said, in its current form, the spray may affect the colour of dark surfaces as its layers are slightly opaque. The coating can also be mechanically unstable on smooth surfaces. But BASF is working to overcome these problems.

    Glass isn't in the market yet, but looks like it'd made a great varnish. No more coasters!

    --

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    When I grow up, I want to be a kid again.
  3. Nature by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Some people wonder why we should bother about the environment and saving plants and animals: this is why. All our great ideas come from Nature. 4+ billions years has have gone into "designing" the various flora/fona alive now and it would be extremely dumb to waste all the R and D.

    Some other things ideas from nature:

    • the airplane wing
    • sonar
    • radar (bats) (okay, similiar to sonar)
    • several plants have been use for medicines

    There's also research being done in using some kinds of spider silk to replace steels cables: three times stronger and about half the weight. I wonder what things we'll never discover because the plant/animal species has gone extinct.

    1. Re:Nature by mattdm · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Point of correction: The airplane wing is less a product of nature than physics.

      Since when is physics supernatural?

  4. Is this really nanotech? by henben · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I can remember when nanotech implied nano-scale machines. Surely a clever (but passive) new type of coating is materials science, or something?

  5. Re:Uhhh, what about an Automobile... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    >reducing the human (or American) need ...

    I'm glad you appreciate the distinction!

    This is not meant to be a troll, but just consider how much Americans (i.e. the US) consume, waste and pollute compared to everyone in the rest of the world.

  6. Re:self cleaning windows by skeedlelee · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This seem a little odd to anyone else? If the particles are ~1nm they really shouldn't significantly interact with visible light passing through it all that much should they? My guess is that yes, the surface is rough at the ~1nm scale but the coating itself is 100's of nm thick, when the hydrophobic polymers are considered. Or perhaps their spray technology still need a bit of work, if they're spraying globs of particles that could explain it as well.

  7. But how long does it last? by Thag · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I mean, if the crystals are that small, how long before they erode away?

    On the lotus plant, I would imagine that the crystals are continually being replenished, and even then how long does the blossom last?

    Jon Acheson

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    All opinions expressed herein are my own, and not those of my employers, who are appalled.