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The lotus effect refers to self-cleaning properties that are a result of ultrahydrophobicity as exhibited by the leaves of Nelumbo, the lotus flower. [1] Dirt particles are picked up by water droplets due to the micro- and nanoscopic architecture on the surface, which minimizes the droplet's adhesion to that surface.
A drop on a lotus surface, with a contact angle of greater than 146°. A water droplet falling onto a superhydrophobic, elastic surface. In chemistry and materials science, ultrahydrophobic (or superhydrophobic) surfaces are highly hydrophobic, i.e., extremely difficult to wet.
Epicuticular wax forms crystalline projections from the plant surface, which enhance their water repellency, [11] create a self-cleaning property known as the lotus effect [12] and reflect UV radiation. The shapes of the crystals are dependent on the wax compounds present in them.
This honey-spoon, at the Bonn University in 1994, was the first technical product to demonstrate the self-cleaning effect of superhydrophobic surfaces after the discovery of the lotus-effect in 1977 Hassallia byssoidea (biofilm and attached to the water droplet) is a terrestrial cyanobacterium forming extreme water-repellent biofilms on rocks.
Lotus Leaf (5780807820) Unitary roughness structure versus hierarchical structure A lotus leaf is well known for its ability to repel water and self-clean. Yuan [1] and his colleagues fabricated a negative mold of alotus leaf from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to capture the tiny hierarchical structures integral for the leaf's ability to repel water, known as the lotus effect.
One example of a superhydrophobic surface in nature is the Lotus leaf. [12] Lotus leaves have a typical contact angle of θ ∼ 160 ∘ {\displaystyle \theta \sim 160^{\circ }} , ultra low water adhesion due to minimal contact areas, and a self cleaning property which is characterised by the Cassie-Baxter equation. [ 13 ]
The leaves of Nelumbo are highly water-repellent (i.e. they exhibit ultrahydrophobicity) and have given the name to what is called the lotus effect. [3] Ultrahydrophobicity involves two criteria: a very high water contact angle between the droplet of water and the leaf surface, and a very low roll-off angle. [ 4 ]
The surface structure of the lotus leaf and the rose petal, as seen in Figure 9, can be used to explain the two different effects. The lotus leaf has a randomly rough surface and low contact angle hysteresis, which means the water droplet is not able to wet the microstructure spaces between the spikes. This allows air to remain inside the ...