'Sticky Tape' for Water Mimics Rose Petals: Raspberry Particles

How could a rose petal help medical tests and airplane cabins? Scientists have created a new nanostructured material that mimics rose petals that can immobilize very small water droplets. This new material could potentially be used to reduce condensation in airplane cabins and enable certain medical tests without high tech laboratories.

The new material employs raspberry particles, so-called because of their appearance. These particles can trap tiny water droplets and prevent them from rolling off of surfaces. Yet in order to put these particles to use, the researchers assembled them in the lab using spherical micro- and nanoparticles. This allowed them to mimic the special structure of a rose petal's surface.

"Water droplets bead up in a spherical shape on top of rose petals," said Andrew Telford, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This is a sign the flower is highly water repellant."

In the end, the researchers created a material that caused water droplets to bead. Even when the material was turned upside down, the water didn't drip down from it. This new material could be used to help with a variety of applications, but it also shows potential for future studies. If the scientists used this nanotechnology to control how a surface is structured, they could influence how it would interact with water.

"This means we will be able to design a surface that does whatever you need it to do," said Telford. "We could also design a surface that stays dry forever, never needs cleaning or able to repel bacteria or even prevent mold and fungi growth. We could then tweak the same structure by changing its composition so it forces water to spread very quickly. This could be used on quick-dry walls and roofs which would help to cool down houses."

The new material may also be commercially viable. The new discovery allows for the preparation of these particles on an industrial scale. In addition, they can prepare a large quantity of these particles without the need to build special plants or equipment.

Such applications, though, are still far to the future. Currently, the scientists are planning to further study these raspberry particles.

The findings are published in the journal Chemistry of Materials.