Lotus repellant (e4engineering.com)
Ohio State University engineers are designing super-slick, water-repellent surfaces that mimic the texture of lotus leaves. The patent-pending technology could lead to self-cleaning glass, and could also reduce friction between the tiny moving parts inside microdevices.
Scientists have long known that the lotus, or water lily, makes a good model for a water-repellent surface, explained Bharat Bhushan, Ohio Eminent Scholar and the Howard D. Winbigler Professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio State. The leaf is waxy and covered with tiny bumps, so water rolls off.
In studying the lotus leaf, Bhushan realised that the same texture could be exploited to reduce friction between moving parts on machines. Small machines, such as those under development in the fields of micro and nanotechnology, cannot be lubricated by normal means, and would especially benefit from the technology. More here
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