Blood sucker. That’s right- a real blood sucker. Neventhes. A carniverous plant, found in the tropics of the Old World (an area ranging from China to Australia to Sri Lanka). These plants have a narrow stem (1 cm or so), but can reach 15 m in length.
The plant preys on insects, whose oily feet affords them the ability to scale walls. But, the Neventhes tube-shaped leaves, which appear smooth, have microscopic bumps that retain water. As such, insects’ oily feet can’t adhere to its surfaces, landing them directly into the plant’s mouth.
So, Dr. Joanna Aizenberg (Harvard University), along with Drs. Wong, Kang, Tang, Hatton, and Grinthal, used this fact as a stepping stone to develop a lubricating liquid system that could repel anything. Dr. Aizenberg has been involved in nanotechnology for a while, shaping and painting micropillars to repel/attract fluids, bend light, or serve as catalysts. (An example of this research can behere.)
In their Nature article, they employed a bumpy surface (on the nanoscale, the material was Teflon) covered with 3M’s Fluorinert FC-70. This fluid filled the Teflon’s pores, but also remained as a layer of fluid on top (nanometer level). As such, it feels dry to the touch, but other liquids slide off, as if they were a car on black ice. So, of course, Aizenberg termed their self-healing, slippery liquid-infused porous surface SLIPS.
Compared to other designs, SLIPS are far more slippery- even at an angle as small as 2.5 degrees; the best other surfaces offer range from 30 down to 5 degree. (You would be hard pressed to see 2.5 degrees as an angle, as you can see from the picture below.)
And, as its name provides, it self-heals, since the lubricating liquid is able to seep back into the nanopores. It also seems to work underwater, with its incompressible fluid (the surface works up to about 700 atm).
The goal is to use this development to produce self-cleaning windows, blood transfusion devices, and friction-free oil, among others. Amazing what we can learn from these blood-suckers, no?
I love learning new things like this. Fascinating.
Make sure you don’t use these materials for your canvasses, Elise!
Wow – self cleaning windows? I’m in!!! Your articles are always so interesting, Roy. I’m amazed what inspires people in their research and inventions. Thanks for an interesting post! ~ Suerae
Ah, Suerae, interesting how you latched onto those three words! But, seriously, I am thrilled- really- that you found the piece interesting. It’s your energy- and the energy of every other reader- that coaxes me to keep writing these entries. Thank YOU!
Roy
Wow. That stuff sounds like it could revolutionize many industries and that the uses will be extremely wide-based. Now I am wondering how it can be used in ways that will be destructive. I’m sure those will be forthcoming as well.
Ann- leave it to science to figure out every way to use it. That’s one thing about science- when it operates properly, it’s amoral. It’s the job of the populace to put controls on its use. That is the political decision- to use or not use- a given concept.
Thanks for dropping in and leaving a comment.
Roy
Glad you dropped in and liked it, Sarah!
Thanks for the visit AND the comment. Hope your daughter finds it of interest, as well.
Roy
This is nice, It’s been a long time that I never know about this, I will show this too to my son..
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Glad you liked it, Fatima. Thanks for your comments.