Catching water with imitation beetle bumps

Written by Victoria Richards for Chemistry World

Inspired by both desert beetles and marine mussels, scientists in Saudi Arabia have devised a new method for creating micropatterned superhydrophobic surfaces that efficiently harvest fog.

The Namib Desert beetle survives by collecting moisture from the air

The Namib Desert beetle survives by collecting moisture from the air

In semi-arid, desert regions, particularly in coastal areas where morning fog is abundant and rainfall is scarce, fog harvesting can be a crucial source of water. Indeed, the Namib Desert beetle is known to survive by collecting water from fog thanks to its unique back structure. An array of hydrophilic bumps across a waxy superhydrophobic surface collect then route droplets into the beetle’s mouth.

Interested? The full story can be read at Chemistry World.

The original article can be read below:

Inkjet printing for direct micropatterning of a superhydrophobic surface: toward biomimetic fog harvesting surfaces
Lianbin Zhang, Jinbo Wu, Mohamed Nejib Hedhili, Xiulin Yang and Peng Wan
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2015, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4TA05862C

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