Bionic building of a super-hydrophobic structure of Chinese rose on a bamboo surface

Abstract

To overcome defects such as cracks and deformation caused by moisture absorption of bamboo, a super-hydrophobic micro-nano structure of Chinese rose was built on bamboo surfaces through soft lithography using fresh Chinese rose petals as the template and polydimethylsiloxane for a seal. Scanning electron microscopy was used for the analysis. Results of the scanning electron microscopy and water contact angle (WCA) showed that the prepared Chinese-rose-like bamboo samples had a papillary micro structure and a groove shaped nanometer structure with rough surfaces like Chinese rose petals. The WCA of the replicated bamboo surface was 153.5° which was close to that of Chinese rose petals (157.5°), thereby expressing a super-hydrophobic property. At the same time, water droplets could be firmly attached to the surface of the bamboo. Even if the bamboo surfaces were turned 90° and 180°, water droplets did not roll off the bamboo, which showed favorable adhesion. Thus, the bamboo was super-hydrophobic with high adhesion similar to Chinese rose petals; in addition, the super-hydrophobic sample improved in adhesion with coatings.