Lotus plants are teaching us how to create surfaces that clean themselves, without detergents

Copyright Biomimcry Institute

Ask any school child or adult how leaves keep water from sticking to them, and they’ll almost certainly say, “Because they are so smooth.” Yet one of the most water repellent leaves in the world, that of the Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), isn’t smooth at all; it has one of the most microscopically rough leaf surfaces imaginable.

Instead, water that falls on the leaf of the lotus plant “floats” on a maze of air trapped in the myriad crevices of the leaf surface, so that the slightest breeze or tilt in the leaf causes balls of water to just roll off, taking attached dirt particles with them.

Now, microscopically rough surface additives have been introduced into a new generation of paint, glass, ceramic and other finishes, greatly reducing the need for chemical or laborious cleaning. For example, GreenShield, a fabric finish inspired by lotus leaves, achieves the same performance as conventional finishes while using 8 times less harmful chemicals.

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Nature, imaginative by necessity, has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with. Animals, plants, and microbes are the consummate engineers. They have found what works, what is appropriate, and most important, what lasts here on Earth.