Superhydrophobic materials from nature
Chemists who want to make materials that repel water but do not contain fluorocarbons are taking their inspiration from nature, Rachel Brazil finds
Chemists are starting to look at alternatives to Teflon and other organofluorine compounds for making non-stick surfaces – and many have been looking at how nature does it. Numerous plants and animals have surfaces designed to repel water and in some instances even oil. But the chemistry of these surfaces is not nature’s only trick – complex nanostructuring plays a huge role. Exploiting these designs is helping chemists produce the next generation of non-stick coatings.