Myriophyllum spicatum Leaves: Aerophily for Gas Collection and Transportation in Water

Abstract

The unique living environment of aquatic plants makes them produce many fantastic properties different from land ones. For instance, the leaves of Myriophyllum spicatum show excellent hydrophobicity and aerophily characteristics. In this paper, the abundant morphological structure, composition, and aerophily properties of Myriophyllum spicatum leaves are revealed. The contact angle of the leaf surface can reach 122° in air, exhibiting wonderful gas collection ability under water. The results showed that the aerophily of the leaves is attributed to the multistage micro–nanostructure and waxy layer on the surface. The gas transportation toward the tips of leaves is based on the void gradient formed by the nanoscale morphology at different growth stages and the buoyancy as well. These features provide bionic experience for gas collection, bubble transportation, and liquid resistance reduction in water environments.

Multi-stimulus Response Behavior of Biomimetic Autocrine Waxy Materials for Potential Self-Constructing Surface Microstructures

“…Undoubtedly, studies on the autocrine regulation of surface structural characteristics and waxy layers are particularly important in expanding the applications of this class of materials. However, we note that the research reports on AWMs have mainly focused on the application of such materials in the fields of anti-icing, anticorrosion, self-cleaning, , and fluid control, , while relatively little attention has been paid to the important fundamental studies on the autocrine regulation of waxy layers.…”