How plants keep dry: a physicist's point of view.
This work describes the investigation of the physical basis of the amazing water repellence of some plant leaves, which is in addition to self-cleaning properties known as the "Lotus effect". Two rather different possible mechanisms are proposed, which are suggested to cover the main physics in a majority of superhydrophobic systems. These concepts are illustrated with two different types of plant leaves as well as a model surface carrying carbon nanotube aggregates.
Otten
Alexander
A
Department of Applied Physics, University of Ulm, Albert Einstein Allee 11, D-89069 Ulm, Germany.
Herminghaus
Stephan
S
D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008954:Models, Biological; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism
D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D014867:Water