The secret of the lotus leaf effect lies mainly in its microstructure and nanostructure, not in its chemical composition. All plants have a skin on their surface that separates the plant from its surroundings. The main component of the epidermis of all plants is soluble oil embedded in the polyester matrix. Therefore, the epidermis of plants has a certain degree of water repellency.
After analyzing the surfaces of 20,000 plants, it was found that plants with smooth surfaces have no water-repellent and self-cleaning function, while plants with rough surfaces have a certain water-repellent effect. Among all plants, lotus leaves have It has a strong water-repellent and self-cleaning effect. The contact angle of water on its surface reaches 160.4°. In addition to lotus leaves, taro leaves and kohlrabi leaves also have strong water-repellent and self-cleaning effect. The contact angles of water on their surfaces reach 160.3 and 159.7 respectively. . Overall, no fiber has a contact angle of water greater than 90° on its surface, so it can be said that none of the commonly used textile fibers have water-repellent capabilities. Of course, it does not have the ability to repel oil.
lotus leaf
taro leaves
Kohlrabi leaves
By studying the water-repellent self-cleaning principle of the lotus leaf effect, it can be seen that fabrics with high water-repellent self-cleaning must meet the following conditions:
(1) First, make the fiber surface have basic water-repellent properties (that is, the contact angle between water and its surface is greater than 90°). This step can be achieved through nanotechnology, plasma treatment technology and coating padding technology. (For example, using organic peroxides at high temperatures) decompose to form free radicals, which trigger silicon-containing or fluorine-containing organic monomers with lower free energy to graft and modify the surface of PET fabrics.
(2) Make the fabric have a rough surface. Although the fabric surface itself is very rough, this rough structure is based on fibers as small units, which is much larger than the requirements of nanostructures. The surface roughness of the water-repellent self-cleaning fabric should be the roughness of the fiber surface, and the roughness should reach the nanometer level.
Therefore, using the principle of bionics, the lotus leaf effect principle is applied to the water- and oil-repellent finishing of polyester fabrics (Dekonami texnology®FB101) will be able to develop a super water-repellent textile with the following effects:
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