The use of plant waxes as templates for micro- and nanopatterning of surfaces.
Small wax sculptures on plant surfaces are responsible for a variety of functions, including the maintenance of sability, self-cleaning properties, prevention of insect attachment and reflection of light. Here we report on a method for using recrystallized plant wax crystals on flat technical surfaces for generating micro- and nanopatterned polymers with particular functions. Therefore a more than 4-thousand year old replica technique called the "lost wax technique" has been adapted for reproduction of complex, high aspect ratio surfaces and the large scale reproduction of micro- and nanopatterned surfaces. Highly ordered pyrolytic graphite substrates, covered with perpendicularly oriented platelets formed by the primary alcohol octacosan-1-ol, the main component of wheat (Triticum aestivum) leaf waxes, were used as templates to make an epoxy resin surfaces with high aspect ratio platelets 400-700 nm wide and 10-50 microm thick. The technique holds great promise on the reproduction of micro- and nanopatterned surfaces.
Koch
Kerstin
K
Nees Institute for Biodiversity of Plants, Meckenheimer Allee 170, D-53115 Bonn, Germany.
Dommisse
Aarnoud
A
Barthlott
Wilhem
W
Gorb
Stanislav N
SN
D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013499:Surface Properties; D014908:Triticum / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014885:Waxes / Q000737:chemistry*
D014885:Waxes