Chapter Two - Natural Superhydrophobic Surfaces

Abstract

Nature has provided many valuable insights to assist in the design and construction of many items for use on everyday applications, including anti-wetting, superhydrophobic, self-cleaning, and anti-biofouling products. The terms used to describe the behavior of these products have become popular, not only to industry but also to the scientific community. Current advances in the development of special wetting surfaces have resulted from the work that commenced nearly a century ago, when the first natural surfaces with unique wetting characteristics were observed. Since then, a number of naturally occurring surfaces have been intensively investigated with a view to providing us with useful templates for potential applications in the design of biomimetic, self-cleaning, and superhydrophobic materials. This chapter provides an overview of currently known natural surfaces that exhibit superhydrophobic and other special wetting properties. Also included is a consideration of the mechanisms involved in their superhydrophobic behavior and the diverse ways in which these properties are applied for the survival of organisms in a range of environmental conditions.