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
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
