Tag: Copying

Copying the small structures of Salvinia leaves

Several plants and animals have evolved surfaces with long-term (i.e., days to months) air-retainability to prevent wetting and submersion. One example is Salvinia, a plant floating on water. The secret “how do they maintain an air-mattress” has been unraveled by researchers. Salvinia leaves and the eggbeater structures Researchers at Jilin University reviewed recent progress in the study of Salvinia leaves and their artificial replicas. “Salvinia has complex multicellular hairs on the upper side of its leaves, and each group of four hairs is connected at the terminal ends, forming an eggbeater structure. The hairs are coated with hydrophobic wax crystals, ... Read more