American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- April 16, 2008

The lotus flower is nature’s “slip n’ slide,” where water beads skate along each petal’s surface like liquid metal. Now, chemists reveal the ying to the lotus’ frictionless yang: rose petals. Chemists have found the physical basis for the rose’s ability to grip water droplets in place, even when the flower is upside down. In a study scheduled for the April 15 issue of ACS’ Langmuir, a bi-weekly journal, this newly described “petal effect” could lead to unique new adhesive materials, coatings and fabrics.

The study of biological microstructures has been an lively area of research, particularly in the design of biomimetic materials. But before the petal effect could be replicated in synthetic materials, an in-depth understanding of the rose’s surface was needed.

Lin Feng and colleagues in China provide the first description of the microscale surface of roses, composed of arrays of tiny, fleshy projections called micropapillae. The micropapillae form a seal with water droplets, allowing them to cling to the surface of the rose petal. Using these new insights, Feng was able to create a synthetic rose petal surface with same properties.

“The simple duplication of petal surface provides us not only a theoretical explanation of the phenomenon but also an inspiration for the preparation of biomimetic polymer films, which should be of great biological and technological importance,” says Feng. — AD

ARTICLE #4 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Petal Effect: A Superhydrophobic State with High Adhesive Force”

DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/la703821h

CONTACT:
Lin Feng, Ph.D.
Tsinghua University
Beijing, China
E-mail:

ARTICLE #5 EMBARGOED FOR 9 A.M., EASTERN TIME, April 21, 2008

Demand for improved consumer products drives growth of key family of chemical ingredients
Chemical & Engineering News

From running shoes to automobiles with improved fuel efficiency, the demand for consumer products with better quality and performance is boosting demand for dyes, adhesives, rust inhibitors, and other so-called “specialty chemicals,” according to an article [http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/86/8616cover.html ] scheduled for the April 21 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS’ weekly newsmagazine. The article presents a snapshot of this important yet often little-publicized sector of the chemical industry.