What is it about?
The topography and wettability of the underside of English weed (Oxalis pes-caprae) leaves was studied using epoxy replicas created via a two-step casting process. Leaves were found to be close to super hydrophobic due to the presence of a characteristic pattern of irregular 100 µm – 200 µm × 60 µm convex papillae.
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Photo by Ren Ran on Unsplash
Why is it important?
The water repellency properties of the microstructured surfaces of the English weed leaves may have important applications, including self-cleaning, anti-microbial and anti-fouling.
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Characterization of the topography and wettability of English weed leaves and biomimetic replicas, Journal of Bionic Engineering, September 2014, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1016/s1672-6529(14)60048-2.
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Resources
Characterization of the Topography and Wettability of English Weed Leaves and Biomimetic Replicas
News piece with a short description of the research paper including and image.
Biomimetic replica of the epicuticular waxes on the underside of an English weed leaf
SEM images of an epoxy replica of the underside of the leaf of English weed (O. pes-caprae) showing replicated epicuticular waxes on top of a papilla (scale bar = 10 μm).
Biomimetic replica of the micropapillae on the underside of an English weed leaf
Optical microscopy image (500x magnification) of an epoxy replica of the underside of the leaf of the English weed (O. pes-caprae) showing an array of micropapillae. Stomata are clearly visibile at the intersection of papillae.
English weed
Photograph of English weed (Oxalis pes-caprae).
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