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Science

Lotus Nanotech 161

Posted by Hemos from the so-nanotech-eaters dept.
Makarand writes "The lotus, a flowering plant native to Asia whose waxy leaves repel water droplets and particles of dirt, is teaching nanotechnologists a thing or two. Scientists at BASF have found that the lotus plant surfaces have a coating of wax crystals around 1 nm in diameter. This roughness on the nanometer scale helps the plant surface to reduce the actual contact area to 2-3% of the droplet covered area making its surfaces superhydrophobic. If the surface is slanting, the droplet rolls off, instead of sliding off, picking up small particles of dirt on the way giving a "self-cleaning" effect. BASF is now working on an aerosol spray to coat a surface with such a self-cleaning nanostructure. The self cleaning shoe might soon be a reality."
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Lotus Nanotech More

Lotus Nanotech

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  • Just what we need, putting more people out of work by making them redundant. tsk.

  • self cleaning windows (Score:5, Interesting)

    by cat_jesus ( 525334 ) on Monday November 18, 2002 @08:10AM (#4696072)
    Forget the self cleaning shoe. This will be great for windows on skyscrapers.

  • Human Use (Score:1)

    by bjb ( 3050 )
    Now if only some people could apply this same cleaning mechanic, then the world would probably be a much more attractive place. Oh, just add perfume.

    Though I guess we'd have to spray them every once in a while..

    • But, what if it repels perfume?

      ...and all sweat will slide down to the my shoes...

      Let's limit the usage of this stuff to scyscraper windows and shoes, please.

    • I'd be happy enough if I could just spray it on my kids, then I wouldn't have to give them a bath! Of course, if they couldn't get dirty, I suppose they'd be pretty upset with me! LOL!

  • Self cleaning shoes? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Sam the Nemesis ( 604531 ) on Monday November 18, 2002 @08:11AM (#4696079)
    For this thing to work as in lotus, shoes will need water droplets to be sprayed on them.

  • Aerosol spray, eh? (Score:5, Funny)

    by RomikQ ( 575227 ) <romikq@mail.ru> on Monday November 18, 2002 @08:11AM (#4696080) Homepage
    And what if you got some of the spray onto your socks while applying it to your shoes... I can see it now - forever stinking, laundry-resistant... oh the horror!

  • Shoe polish (Score:5, Interesting)

    by NeoSkandranon ( 515696 ) on Monday November 18, 2002 @08:11AM (#4696081)
    If this becomes a reality, expect to see it in Kiwi shoe polish. Thousands of ROTC students and millions of military personnel would be a pretty good market for Kiwi Black Self-cleaning(TM) ...dunno how you'd buff it though, considering it repels water so violently
    • wouldn't the water resistance be somewhat similar to current (oil-based) shoe polishes. Last time i checked, the stuff they used repelled water fairly well when it was in large quanitity.
    • You don't need water to buff it! Although some militaries teach soldiers to use water, you can get a good shine by just buffing it dry, with wax-based polish.
    • I'm sure the military won't allow it. It would reduce the effectiveness of your drill seargeant pissing on your boots.
    • Now why in the hell would Kiwi want to do that?

      "Look! Just buy this one can of shoe polish from us, and you'll never need another."

      "Erm. Hm. Scratch that. Just buy the old stuff. Over. and over." :P

  • Sweet (Score:5, Funny)

    by Soporific ( 595477 ) on Monday November 18, 2002 @08:12AM (#4696086)
    I'll just be able to give myself a coating and not worry about bathing for a year.

    ~S
  • What can they do for all these dang fingerprints on my monitor?
    • What can they do for all these dang fingerprints on my monitor?

      Truth is, not much. Fingerprints are fat, and are
      as such hydrophobic. Not only that, they're very small (mass-wise) and are spread out,
      which means a lot of surface area per unit of fingerprint substance.

      I'd just recommend: Keep your fingers off the monitor!

      As a help, you *could* coat your monitor with some carcinogenic toxin that is absorbed through the skin. (There are quite a few good candidates)

      Or how about removing the ground from the CRT? As soon as you touch the bugger: *ZAP*
      (Pavlov's dogs, anyone?)
    • Heres an idea... don't touch your monitor??? Why would you be doing this anyways, unless its a touchscreen?

  • Somebody call Fess Parker (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 18, 2002 @08:13AM (#4696091)
    making its surfaces superhydrophobic.

    Jim get the shotgun, the lotus has the hydrophoby!

    Explanation [imdb.com]

  • Not new (Score:5, Interesting)

    by DarkDust ( 239124 ) <marc@darkdust.net> on Monday November 18, 2002 @08:16AM (#4696107) Homepage
    This is Lotus effect is actually known for some time now. I saw an article about it and the (already successful) attempts to mimic this well over a year ago. My girlfried, who is varnisher, said there is already varnish avaible with such an effect but it's way too expensive to paint a car with it. And AFAIK there is already keramics avaible with this effect, being very expensive, too. But as always, prices should drop once going into mass-production :-)
  • On my glasses! No more waiting till I can hardly see through them before I wipe them off and think "Jeez, I really should clean these more often!"

  • This has been around... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Space Coyote ( 413320 ) on Monday November 18, 2002 @08:18AM (#4696115) Homepage
    remember this?

    Colonel Homer's outfit when he became Lurlene Lumpkin's manager..
    "Now this is made from a space-age fabric especially designed for Elvis. Sweat actually cleans this suit!"

  • Uhhh, what about an Automobile... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by awfar ( 211405 ) on Monday November 18, 2002 @08:18AM (#4696116)
    where massive amounts of fresh water are wasted every day to wash them (not to mention the long lines on Saturday mornings). And, this hydrophobic nature would make the body last even longer even here in Michigan(!). Or, a boat that doesn't soil so there is no need to pollute the lakes and streams with cleaners. Or, durable items that look as good as new for twice as long, reducing the human (or American) need to replace items with new looking appliances...

    This is a great innovation.

    • Re:Uhhh, what about an Automobile... (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      >reducing the human (or American) need ...

      I'm glad you appreciate the distinction!

      This is not meant to be a troll, but just consider how much Americans (i.e. the US) consume, waste and pollute compared to everyone in the rest of the world.

      • I've hear that American's have the richest piss out of any country. (We have the most protein, vitamins, minerals etc.)

        Damn it's good to be an American. A Somolian could probably live off my piss.
    • Americans aren't Human too?

      I thought so, but confirmation on /. of these sorts of things always makes life easier.

    • I have a better solution (Score:4, Funny)

      by DrSkwid ( 118965 ) on Monday November 18, 2002 @09:32AM (#4696510) Journal
      I don't clean my car, haven't done for 2 years or so and my car is white.

      The dirt seems to reach equilibrium.

    • I rarely wash my car. When I do, I use a drive-through car wash because I have a sports car and it is slick and smooth, thus actually gets clean going through those stupid things. At that point you can solve the pollutant problem at the car wash, which only uses a fairly nonoffensive detergent and ionized water anyway.

      Also, people replace appliances not because they are dirty, but so that they can keep up with the icons on their neighbors' appliances, and because crappy electronics break when subjected to dumb americans poking and prodding them indiscriminately. Even game consoles are susceptible; One of the neighbor kids pushed on his PS2's drawer too hard and it went off the track. I fixed it for him, big woop, but most people won't be able to and they'll just discard and replace.

  • I wonder how long (Score:1, Flamebait)

    by Anonymous Coward
    it will be until we discover that all this nanotech casuses cancer.

    Releasing a bunch of human engineered particles into the environment where they will be easily sucked into the lungs should be monitored closely.

    Silicosis, Asbestosis...

  • Nature (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 18, 2002 @08:22AM (#4696132)

    Some people wonder why we should bother about the environment and saving plants and animals: this is why. All our great ideas come from Nature. 4+ billions years has have gone into "designing" the various flora/fona alive now and it would be extremely dumb to waste all the R and D.

    Some other things ideas from nature:

    • the airplane wing
    • sonar
    • radar (bats) (okay, similiar to sonar)
    • several plants have been use for medicines

    There's also research being done in using some kinds of spider silk to replace steels cables: three times stronger and about half the weight. I wonder what things we'll never discover because the plant/animal species has gone extinct.


    • The couch (big flat rocks with lumbar support)
      Fast food (grubs)
      Pamela Anderson (Grand Tetons)
      The Rolling Stones (dinosaur fossils)
      Windows (swarms of locusts)

    • Re:Nature (Score:2, Funny)

      by benzapp ( 464105 )
      Of course, we can't forget the three biggest conrtributions from nature

      Marijuana - the classic

      The Poppy - heroin, morphine, opium... God's own medicine

      Coca - cocaine. Nature's best stimulant

      Just think of how boring civilization would be if it was not for these three mind alterning substances.

      PS: Yes, so the heroin has some acetic acid, but you could conceivably get that from fermenting some fruit...

    • Point of correction: The airplane wing is less a product of nature than physics. Funny thing is, it was looking at the way birds flew that kept many people from discovering how to keep a plane in the air. All the way back to da Vinci (maybe before), people had designed flapping wings, like birds. The ornithopters were a miserable failure, and it wasn't until this idea was jettisoned that flight really took off (pun intended).

      Not to take away from your point, though. Studying nature is often extremely fruitful.

      • Re:Nature (Score:3, Insightful)

        by mattdm ( 1931 )
        Point of correction: The airplane wing is less a product of nature than physics.

        Since when is physics supernatural?
        • I think you missed the point. We are talking about the OBSERVATION of nature, which is much different than designing something from scratch to take advantage of laws of physics. I didn't think I had to make that difference explicit, but then, that assumes that you read the posts...

          • Nothing is designed from scratch, *especially* when it comes to physics. Planes *do* fly the way birds do; we just were making poor observations about what it was that made birds fly -- all of the flapping is distracting. In fact, the Wright brothers' success came directly from watching birds wings and understanding better exactly what was going on.
        • Physics can be "supernatural": some physics experiments can produce condition which does not exists in the nature: for example, very low temperatures have been produced much lower than exists in the natural world.
  • i thought they had this sort of coating on expensive ovens.

  • Remember the stain-resistant Dockers?

    Water rolls right off them!

    Stain Defender [dockers.com]

  • Scientists Also Discovered ... (Score:5, Funny)

    by LordYUK ( 552359 ) <jeffwright821.gmail@com> on Monday November 18, 2002 @08:29AM (#4696158)
    ... that if you turn the lotus sideways, it produces 3 resources, or "mana" if you will, before burying itself at the end of the round.
    • When i saw this post, I thought, "better post a reference to the Black Lotus; no one else is as nerdy as I am and would be thinking about a Magic card from 10 years ago".

      One again, thank you Slashdot for exceeding my wildest expectations!
  • Self Cleaning Pants. It's about to be the year 2003, and we're starting to have the technology for the ultimate pants. I'm talking about the kind of pants that Sci-Fi authors of old dreamed of. We have the Dockers with extra pockets for our gadgets, and the Levis with radiation sheilding. And now with this substance we will be able to make The Ultimate Pants! I see a utopia in our near future where the free people of Earth are released from the slavery of washing their gadget toting pants. Oh the luxury!

  • The best application (Score:4, Interesting)

    by TiMac ( 621390 ) on Monday November 18, 2002 @08:36AM (#4696177)
    Coat waterslides in this stuff. Imagine screaming down a waterslide that has virtually no friction. WHEEEEEEEEE!
    • Coat waterslides in this stuff. Imagine screaming down a waterslide that has virtually no friction.

      Actually, the coolest part about this would be slowing you down at the bottom. Dumping you into a pool would be too dangerous, I'd think; you'd be going too fast, and the water would hurt.

      Imagine, however, that the slide angled upwards right at the end, to let gravity slow you down a little. Done properly, the slide could end up sliding you gently across an almost horizontal surface, ala Slip'n'Slide, and finally dump you into the pool.

      That would rule.

      Doug

  • Self Cleaning Geeks!

  • Is this really nanotech? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by henben ( 578800 ) on Monday November 18, 2002 @08:46AM (#4696230)
    I can remember when nanotech implied nano-scale machines. Surely a clever (but passive) new type of coating is materials science, or something?
    • "Nano"-anything is today's buzzword. The science research funding situation is such that anything to which you can attach "nano", the more revolutionary hence fundable your idea will sound.
  • Finally, I'll no longer have to waste hours and hours each day cleaning my shoes!

  • Shoes? (Score:1)

    by Jump ( 135604 )
    Forgett about self-cleaning shoes. I think the major application will be self-cleaning cars and buildings. Imagine how much water will be saved by this!

  • At BASF... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 18, 2002 @09:17AM (#4696419)
    ...we don't make a lot of the nanotech you buy, we make a lot of the nanotech you buy, deadlier.

  • The original finder (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Hi! IIRC the principle of the so-called Lotus Effect was originally found by Prof. Dr. Barthlott of the University of Bonn. http://www.botanik.uni-bonn.de/system/bionik_flash .html btw, the application of such a finish to glass would result in a certain matteness because of the nanostructure, so this might not be the solution to get self-cleaning glasses. greetings, Harleqin
  • I want the self cleaning car! ever since the gas station I frequent broke its car wash (8 months ago) Ive yet to get it washed...

    *bad owner, BAD!*
  • on my car after those little bastards hit it with an egg!
  • Anyone know what they are using to make this waterphobic? Are they using wax? Anyone know if what they are using is oilphobic too?
  • So the first time I go to run across a wet street, I get to head-plant in front of hundreds of people!

    But at least the soles of my shoes will be clean!

    Note: I am refraining from the mom-checking-for-clean-underwear jokes.
  • Hasn't anyone rad "The Mote In God's Eye" by Pournelle? Didn't the moties 'fix" the toilets with effect thus reducing the need for water to flush. Self flushing toilet bowls? Now that is beneficial!!

  • .. in my youth? It would have eliminated the revolting "Stinky Dink" I woke up with too many times.

  • Products already available! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by egghat ( 73643 ) on Monday November 18, 2002 @10:14AM (#4696841) Homepage
    You need self cleaning glass? Look here [pilkington.com].

    You need a self cleaning toilet? Look here [villeroy-boch.com].

    I'm sure that there will be many more examples of this great technology in the next months.

    Bye egghat.
  • A team of ressearchers has been awarded the Philipp-Morris-Price for work on the lotus effect in 1999 (see here [uni-hamburg.de]).

    Additionally, you noone should hope for lotus-effect-coated cars too soon. The automobile industry has been searching for "anything-repelling" coatings for ages now and one of the counterparts (apart from car washers losing their jobs) is that you simply cannot coat repelling coatings, so if you have to repair the coating after an accident, this simply won't work (or will be very expensive). There will certainly be a use for this technique, but it'll probably not be as obvious as most people think.

  • You mean it's got rabies [reference.com]?
  • I've seen roof-tiles with the lotus effect advertised here in Germany. Not that having a clean roof is a major priority for most of us - perhaps they're just easier to make?

    Did a little search and here's [fraunhofer.de] some information from the Fraunhofer institute about their research (no, they don't _just_ make MP3 codecs).

    They also link to this page [nanonet.de] which is a federally funded research project who are looking at applying microstructures onto large surfaces...
  • Forget shoes, windows, and cars. Think people! Just spray it all over your body and you'll never need to shower again, just run through a lake, or if you do decide to shower now soap is necessary? All the filth just rolls off your body. :)
  • ... transparency and stability on smooth surfaces, this could be even better than the RainX-type coatings on windshields (which are already great), and could work well on the rest of the car as well.

    I wonder if it sheds water fast enough to prevent icing on airplane wings.

    In any case, this seems like a good example of BASF's advertisement tag line: 'we don't make the things you buy, we make the things you buy better'.

  • But how long does it last? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Thag ( 8436 ) on Monday November 18, 2002 @11:10AM (#4697406) Homepage
    I mean, if the crystals are that small, how long before they erode away?

    On the lotus plant, I would imagine that the crystals are continually being replenished, and even then how long does the blossom last?

    Jon Acheson

  • Nanotech water repellents in fabric already.... (Score:3, Informative)

    by user flynn ( 236683 ) on Monday November 18, 2002 @11:32AM (#4697627)
    "However, Soane had a test garment on hand, a men's shirt, made with fabric from the nanotechnology process. He gleefully poured water and coffee on it and the liquids ran off (onto Burlington's boardroom table) without being absorbed by the fabric. But he noted that pressure would cause the liquid to pan through the fabric." New Century News article [utexas.edu]
  • wouldnt this make the shoes you apply this to rather slippery and dangerous?

    This reminds me of the time I decided to pledge my hardwood floor. A friend came over right as I finished and said "Wow - your floor looks greaaaaaahhHH!!" thump. Oops!
  • The best application for the new technology is probably Grafitti.

    That way, when you tag something, you can spray this on top of it, and they will never be able to paint over your grafitti.

    -- Terry

  • Whew! (Score:2)

    by ellem ( 147712 )
    I thought there was _another_ version of Notes coming out!
  • The lotus plant is a metaphor in some buddhist schools of thought. "The most beautiful lotus plant grows from the muddiest swamp" - meaning that if you go through loads of problems and shit in your life, you will become the best person possible.

    If that means as a buddhist I have nanotech (albeit patented! - oi! shakyamuni should claim prior art!) shit repelling skin, all the better!

    Ale

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