The superhydrophilic and superoleophilic leaf surface of Ruellia devosiana (Acanthaceae): a biological model for spreading of water and oil on surfaces

Functional Plant Biology : FPB
Kerstin KochWilhelm Barthlott

Abstract

Most leaves of plants are hydrophobic or even superhydrophobic. Surprisingly the leaves of the tropical herb of Ruellia devosiana Makoy ex E. Morr. Hort. (Acanthaceae) are superamphiphilic. Water droplets (10 µL) spread to a film with a contact angle of zero degree within less than 0.3 s. Such surfaces with a high affinity to water are termed superhydrophilic. Droplets of oil applied on R. devosiana leaves and replicas showed a similar spreading behaviour as water. These surfaces are superoleophilic, and in combination with their superhydrophilicity they are called superamphiphilic. Independent of the growing conditions, a reversibility of the superhydrophilicity in R. devosiana leaves was found. Additionally, on 90° tilted leaves a pressure free capillary transport of water occurs against the force of gravity. By using a low pressure environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), the water condensation and evaporation process on the leaves has been observed. The leaf surfaces are composed of five different cell types: conical cells, glands, multicellular hairs, hair-papilla cells and longitudinal expanded, flat epidermis cells, which, in combination with the surrounding papilla cells, form channel like structures. Replicat...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jul 11, 2013·Bioinspiration & Biomimetics·Kerstin KochWilhelm Barthlott
Jan 20, 2015·Bioinspiration & Biomimetics·M A K AzadK Koch
Oct 13, 2017·Advanced Materials·Zhongpeng ZhuYe Tian
Jan 1, 2017·Nano-micro Letters·Wilhelm BarthlottKerstin Koch
Sep 19, 2012·The New Phytologist·Juergen BurkhardtMauricio Hunsche
Dec 17, 2009·Plant Signaling & Behavior·Ulrike Bauer, Walter Federle
Jun 30, 2016·Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences·Kerstin Koch, Roland Grichnik
Mar 11, 2021·The New Phytologist·Nami HaSang Joon Lee
May 2, 2021·Micron : the International Research and Review Journal for Microscopy·Yinlong JiangZhou Yang
Jul 10, 2021·Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids·Amir BayatAlireza Zaker Moshfegh
Mar 17, 2018·Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids·Diyuan ZongYuanyuan Duan

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