Plant with Eggbeater-Shaped Hairs Inspires New Waterproof Coating

Ohio State University

Ohio State University researchers have discovered that a weed, Salvinia molesta, that clogs up the
waterways of many parts of the Americas and Australia actually holds the clues to creating a new
type of waterproof coating for materials -- all thanks to a very unusual characteristic.
This weed has eggbeater-shaped hairs that trap air and keep the plant floating on the surface of the
water -- and these odd hairs have inspired a brand new type of coating for things like boats or
submarines.

Wikipedia/CC BY 1.0

According to Ohio State University, the shape of the hairs allow it to easily trap air in little pockets,
and the tip of the hairs are sticky so it can cling to the water. The hairs thus create a combination of
buoyancy and clingy-ness that keep the plant floating but stale on the surface of the water. Engineers
recreated this unusual feature using plastic and tests of the material so have have been successful.

Ohio State University

Above, you can see how the hairs of the plant are sticky enough at the tips to hold on to water even
when the leaf is turned on its side. And below, you can see how the hairs are shaped like tiny
eggbeaters.

Ohio State University

The engineers behind the new material think it could be made commercially for boats and other
aquatic vehicles, helping to increase buoyancy while reducing friction and drag. So while the plant
can be a pain and clog up waterways, it has provided some solid inspiration for biomimicry.

It may be an invasive weed that's fouling waterways in the U.S., Australia and other countries, but it
turns out that Salvinia molesta has at least one good point - it's inspired a man-made coating that
could help ships stay afloat. The upper surface of the floating plant's leaves are coated with tiny
water-repellent hairs, each of which is topped with a bizarre eggbeater-like structure. These hairs
trap a layer of air against the leaf, reducing friction and providing buoyancy, while the eggbeaters
grab slightly at the surrounding water, providing stability. Scientists at Ohio State University have
successfully replicated these hairs in plastic, creating a buoyant coating that is described as being
like "a microscopic shag carpet."

A plastic material inspired by the leaves of the aquatic weed Salvinia molesta may lead to a coating
that makes ships more buoyant and hydrodynamic
In laboratory tests, the man-made coating performed just like the Salviniahairs. In both cases, water
droplets couldn't penetrate between the hairs, but did cling to the uniquely-shaped tips - they even
hung on when the surface was tilted by 90 degrees. The adhesive force of the coating was
measured at 201 nanoNewtons (billionths of a Newton), while the natural hairs managed an almost
identical 207 nanoNewtons. While these numbers are far below those attained by substances such
as adhesive tape, they are similar to those of gecko feet - and geckos seem to have no problem
climbing walls.
"I've studied the gecko feet, which are sticky, and the lotus leaf, which is slippery," said lead
researcher Bharat Bhushan. "Salvinia combines aspects of both."

If commercialized, the Ohio State-developed material could conceivably be applied to the hulls of
ships or submarines. It is believed that it could provide the vessels with more flotation, while helping
them sit in the water with more stability and move through it more easily.
A paper on the research was recently published in the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science.
PLANT WITH EGGBEATER" TEXTURE INSPIRES WATERPROOF COATING
COLUMBUS, Ohio A floating weed that clogs waterways around the world has at least one redeeming
feature: Its inspired a high-tech waterproof coating intended for boats and submarines.
The Brazilian fern Salvinia molesta has proliferated around the Americas and Australia in part because its
surface is dotted with oddly shaped hairs that trap air, reduce friction, and help the plant stay afloat.
In the November 1 issue of the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Ohio State University engineers
describe how they recreated the texture, which resembles a carpet of tiny eggbeater-shaped fibers. The plastic
coating they created in the laboratory is soft and plush, like a microscopic shag carpet.
In nature, air pockets trapped at the base of Salvinias hairs reduce friction in the water and help the plant float,
while a sticky region at the tips of the eggbeaters clings lightly to the water, providing stability.

Its the combination of slippery and sticky surfaces that makes the texture so special, said Bharat Bhushan,
Ohio Eminent Scholar and the Howard D. Winbigler Professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio State.
The Salvinia leaf is an amazing hybrid structure. The sides of the hairs are hydrophobic in nature, theyre
covered with wax which prevents water from touching the leaves and traps air beneath the eggbeater shape at
the top. The trapped air gives the plant buoyancy, he said.
But the tops of the hairs are hydrophilic. They stick to the water just a tiny bit, which keeps the plant stable on
the water surface.
In tests, the coating performed just as the Salvinia hairs do in nature. The bases of the hairs were slippery,
while the tips of the hairs were sticky. Water droplets did not penetrate between the hairs, but instead clung to
the tops of the eggbeater structures even when the coating sample was turned on its side to a 90-degree
vertical.
With commercial development, the coating could reduce drag and boost buoyancy and stability on boats and
submarines, Bhushan said.
Bhushan and masters student Jams Hunt compared the stickiness of their plastic coating to the stickiness of
the natural Salvinia leaf using an atomic force microscope. The two surfaces performed nearly identically, with
the plastic coating generating an adhesive force of 201 nanoNewtons (billionths of a Newton) and the leaf
generating 207 nanoNewtons.
Thats a very tiny force compared to familiar adhesives such as transparent tape or even masking tape. But the
adhesion is similar to that of another natural surface studied by Bhushan and other researchers: gecko feet.
Ive studied the gecko feet, which are sticky, and the lotus leaf, which is slippery, Bhushan said. Salvinia
combines aspects of both.
Bhushan develops biomimetic structures artificial structures created in the lab to mimic structures found in
nature. The gecko feet inspired him to investigate a repositionable, smart adhesive, and the lotus leaf
inspired the notion of glass that repels water and dirt.
He came to study Salvinia through a colleague in the universitys Biological Sciences Greenhouse, who
provided samples of the plant for the study.
Salvinia molesta, also known as giant salvinia, is native to Brazil, and is a popular plant for home aquariums
and decorative ponds around the world. It needs no dirt, but lives solely in the water even moving water such
as rivers and lakes.
At some point, the hearty plant escaped from peoples homes into the wild. Now it has proliferated into
commercial waterways in North America, South America, and Australia, where it has become an invasive
species.
While the plant is a nuisance to ships today, it could ultimately provide a benefit if a commercial coating based
on its texture became available. Bhushan has no plans to commercialize it himself, though.

With this study, weve gotten deep insight into a very simple concept [how the Salvinia leaf works]. Thats
where the fun is, he said. Besides, Ive already moved on to studying shark skin.