Although the spines of the sturgeon can indeed help prevent predators, it is not waterproof. Nonetheless, scientists have now copied its structure to create a waterproof material that is stronger than before. Many of the "superhydrophobic" materials we saw earlier contained a thin layer of needle-like structures that protruded vertically from the surface, so that the water droplets did not move down to that surface.
Unfortunately, these microneedles are usually very fragile. Eventually when the material bends or twists, or when it scrapes along a hard surface, they will break. However, the larger spines on the sturgeon are very flexible and therefore not easily damaged.
With this in mind, researchers at the National Institute of Materials Research in Japan began to replicate them on a smaller scale. They first made tiny needle-like structures with zinc oxide, and then added silicone polymers to enhance elasticity.
The resulting material consists of a matrix of elastic needles-it not only has a surface coating-but it is also highly hydrophobic (waterproof). In addition, it maintains high quality even after bending and wearing more than 1000 times.
More importantly, because this material is very elastic and flexible, it also claims to prevent impact and deformation. Scientists believe that it can be used as a coating on other materials, or it can be molded into a layer of hydrophobic objects.
A research paper led by Yoshihiro Yamauchi and Masanobu Naito was recently published in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.
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