By: Gert-willem Römer, Daniel Arnaldo del Cerro, R.C.J. Sipkema, M.N.W. Groenendijk, A.J. Huis in ‘t Veld

In nature the morphology of surfaces is used to tune material properties to the highest possible level. Self cleaning surfaces for example, like that of the lotus leaf, amplify the hydrophobic properties of wax crystals by superimposing them on a rough, microstructured surface. A lotus leaf remains always clean thanks to this effect. Figure 1 shows the effect of this on a water droplet situated on a lotus leaf. The goal of this research is to apply this structure to the surface of a number of materials by ultrafast pulsed laser ablation. Continue reading →