Title: Micro and nanostructures found on insect wings – designs for minimising adhesion and friction

Authors: Gregory S. Watson, Jolanta A. Watson, Simon Hu, Christopher L. Brown, Bronwen W. Cribb, Sverre Myhra

Addresses: School of Pharmacy and Molecular Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia. ' School of Pharmacy and Molecular Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia. ' School of Biomolecular and Physical Science, Griffith University, Kessels Road, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia. ' School of Biomolecular and Physical Science, Griffith University, Kessels Road, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia. ' Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis and School of Integrative Biology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. ' Begbroke Science Park, The University of Oxford, Sandy Lane, Yarnton, OX5 1PF, UK

Abstract: Adhesion and friction have been measured on insect wings where contamination (water and/or contaminating particles) can potentially have a detrimental effect on their flight capabilities or daily functioning. Adhesional forces as low as 2 nN were recorded in air for particles with radii of 10-15 nm, and 20 nN for particles of 31 mm radius. The effective coefficients of friction were in the range of 0.01 to 0.10. The low adhesion and frictional values demonstrate that only very low out-of-plane and in-plane forces are required to remove contaminants of nanometre and micron dimensions from the cuticle membranes. Many of the surfaces demonstrate superhydrophobic properties and will not only reduce the effects of contact with surfaces but also promote a self-cleaning function for removing foreign bodies. It has also been demonstrated that surface structures and properties can be duplicated on polymer surfaces by using the wing membrane as a |natural template|.

Keywords: insect wings; adhesion; friction; atomic force microscopy; AFM; template; nanostructure; wetting properties; microstructure; nanotechnology; superhydrophobicity; self-cleaning; polymer surfaces; wing membranes.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNM.2010.029929

International Journal of Nanomanufacturing, 2010 Vol.5 No.1/2, pp.112 - 128

Published online: 03 Dec 2009 *

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