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News article7 June 2017

Bioinspired material surface properties through surface micro- and nano-fabrication

SEM image of the developed substrate composed of gold micropillars coated with electropolymerized nanostructures
© ©EU, 2017

Scientists from the JRC and University of Nice developed new surfaces with high water-adhesion properties similar to those observed on rose petal surface by combining surface nano-and micro–structuring.

Materials with high water-adhesion properties are promising materials for many applications such as water resource management for agriculture or industry needs and for the conception of new water-harvesting systems or separation membranes.

The so called para-hydrophobicity of a new material developed by a research group from the JRC and the Univeristy of Nice Sophia Antipolis (France) is characterised by both extremely strong water adhesion and high contact angles. Water in contact with the surface generates spherical droplets that remain intact even upon inclination like in the case of the rose flowers.

The bioinspired material mimics the natural substrate thanks to combination of micro- and nano-features onto the same surface. Gold micropillars covered by electropolymerized nanostructures were produced and characterized by both institution laboratories.

The successful collaboration between the JRC and the University in Nice will open up to further developments within framework of the upcoming JRC Open-Nano-Laboratory initiative.

SEM image of the developed substrate composed of gold micropillars coated with electropolymerized nanostructures
© ©EU, 2017

Read more in: T. Darmanin et al.: "Bioinspired Rose-Petal-Like Substrates Generated by Electropolymerization on Micropatterned Gold Substrates", ChemPlusChem 82 (2017) 352 - 356, doi: 10.1002/cplu.201600387

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Bioinspired material surface properties through surface micro- and nano-fabrication

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Publication date
7 June 2017