• Textile Coloration and Finishing
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.1-11
• /
• 2009

Super-hydrophobic surface, with a water contact angle greater than $150^{\circ}$, has a self cleaning effect termed 'lotus effect'. We introduced super-hydrophobicity onto aramid/rayon mixture fabric with dual-scale structure by assembling silica nano-sol. Mixture fabric was treated with silica nano-sol, fluoric polymer using various parameters such as particle size, concentration. Silica nano-sol size were measured using particle size analyzer. Morphological changes by particle size were observed using field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), contact angle measurement equipment. The contact angle of water was about $134.0^{\circ}$, $137.0^{\circ}$, $143.0^{\circ}$, $139.5^{\circ}$ and $139.0^{\circ}$ for mixture fabric coated with 100.2nm, 313.7nm, 558.2nm, 628.5nm and 965.4nm silica nano-sol, compared with about $120.0^{\circ}$ for mixture fabric coated with fluoric polymer. When we mixed particle sizes of 100.2nm and 558.2nm by 7:3 volume ratio, the contact angle of water was about $146.2^{\circ}$. And we mixed particle sizes of 313.7nm and 558.2nm by 7:3 volume ratio, the contact angle of water was about $141.8^{\circ}$. Also we mixed particle sizes of 558.2nm and 965.4nm by 7:3 volume ratio, the best super-hydrophobicity was obtained. In this paper, we fabricated the water-repellent surfaces with various surface structures by using four types of silica nano-sol, and we found that the dual-scale structure was very important for the super-hydrophobicity.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.42 no.2
• /
• pp.95-103
• /
• 2012

The cell surface sculpture of the plant epidermis has received great interest recently. It has also been an active area of research, as the biological microstructures of the surface, such as papillae and waxes, exhibit several unique properties, including self-cleaning character; namely the "Lotus effect" first described in the leaves of the lotus, Nelumbo nucifera. The Lotus effect is the phenomenon in which the super-hydrophobic and water-repellent nature of lotus leaves allow water drops to run off easily on the surface in a rolling and sliding motion thereby facilitating the removal of dirt particles. It is well-known that surface roughness on the micro- and nanoscale is a primary characteristic allowing for the Lotus effect. This effect is common among plants and is of great technological importance, since it can be applied industrially in numerous fields. In the present study, Nelumbo nucifera leaf and stem epidermal surfaces have been examined with a focus on the features of papillae and wax crystalloids. Both young and mature Nelumbo nucifera leaf epidermis demonstrated the Lotus effect on their entire epidermal surface. The central area of the upper epidermis, in particular, formed extremely papillose surfaces, with an additional wax layer, enabling greater water repellency. Despite the presence of wax crystalloids, epidermal surfaces of the lower leaf and stem lacking papillae, were much more easily wetted.