Abstract
The production of superhydrophobic coatings inspired by the surface of plant leaves is a challenging goal. Such coatings hold a bright technological future in niche markets of the aeronautical, space, naval, building, automobile, and biomedical sectors. This work is focused on the adaxial (top) and abaxial (bottom) surfaces of the leaflet of the Ceratonia silique L. (carob), a high-commercial-value Mediterranean tree cultivated in many regions of the world. The adaxial and abaxial surfaces feature hydrophobic and superhydrophobic behaviors, respectively. Their chemical composition is very simple: monopalmitin ester and palmitic acid are protuberant in the epicuticular and intracuticular wax layers of the adaxial surface, respectively, whereas 1-octacosanol dominates in the abaxial wax layers. In both surfaces, epicuticular wax is organized along a randomly oriented and intricate network of nanometer-thick and micrometer-long plates, whose density and degree of interconnection are significantly higher in the abaxial surface. The measured tilting angles for the abaxial surface (12–70°) reveal unusual variable density and water adhesion of the nanostructured plate-based texture. Optical measurements demonstrate that light reflectance/absorbance of the glaucous abaxial surface is significantly higher/lower than that of the nonglaucous adaxial surface. In both surfaces, diffuse reflectance is dominant, and the absorbance is weakly dependent on the light incidence angle. We show that the highly dense nanostructured platelike texture of the epicuticular abaxial layer of the C. siliqua leaflet works as a sophisticated light and water management system: it reflects solar radiation diffusely to lower the surface temperature, and it has superhydrophobic character to keep the surface dry. Such attributes enable efficient gas exchange (photosynthesis and respiration), transpiration, and evaporation. To mimic for the first time the abaxial surface, a templation approach was adopted using poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)/poly(methylphenylsiloxane) (PMPS) positive/negative replicas and a soft polymer/siloxane negative replica produced by the sol–gel process. Because high topographical variations of the biotemplate and wax adhesion to the biohybrid film affected the replication quality, the reproduction of the wax texture via the synthesis of 1-octacosanol-grafted siloxane-based hybrid materials is proposed as a suitable route to duplicate the abaxial surface with high fidelity. The natural chemical/physical strategy adopted by the C. siliqua leaflet to face the harsh Mediterranean climate is a powerful source of bioinspiration for the development of diffuse reflecting and superhydrophobic material systems with foreseen applications as dual-functional antiglare and water-repelling coatings.
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Claims 14
Claim · model-written summary
The adaxial and abaxial surfaces of carob leaflets show hydrophobic and superhydrophobic behaviour, respectively.
- Taxon
- Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob)
Ceratonia siliquat0 - Organ / stage
- adaxial and abaxial surfacese1
- Outcome
- hydrophobic and superhydrophobic behaviorse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet”
e1“The adaxial and abaxial surfaces feature hydrophobic and superhydrophobic behaviors, respectively”
Claim · model-written summary
Monopalmitin ester is present in the epicuticular and intracuticular wax layers of the adaxial surface of carob leaflets.
- Taxon
- Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob)Ceratonia siliquat0
- Organ / stage
- epicuticular and intracuticular wax layers of the adaxial surfacee2
- Outcome
- monopalmitin estere2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet”
e2“monopalmitin ester and palmitic acid are protuberant in the epicuticular and intracuticular wax layers of the adaxial surface”
Claim · model-written summary
Palmitic acid is present in the epicuticular and intracuticular wax layers of the adaxial surface of carob leaflets.
- Taxon
- Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob)Ceratonia siliquat0
- Organ / stage
- epicuticular and intracuticular wax layers of the adaxial surfacee2
- Outcome
- palmitic acide2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet”
e2“monopalmitin ester and palmitic acid are protuberant in the epicuticular and intracuticular wax layers of the adaxial surface”
Claim · model-written summary
1-octacosanol dominates the abaxial wax layers of carob leaflets.
- Taxon
- Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob)Ceratonia siliquat0
- Organ / stage
- abaxial wax layerse3
- Outcome
- 1-octacosanole3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet”
e3“whereas 1-octacosanol dominates in the abaxial wax layers”
Claim · model-written summary
The epicuticular wax of carob leaflets forms a randomly oriented, intricate network of nanometer-thick and micrometer-long plates.
- Taxon
- Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob)Ceratonia siliquat0
- Organ / stage
- epicuticular waxe4
- Outcome
- randomly oriented and intricate network of nanometer-thick and micrometer-long platese4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet”
e4“In both surfaces, epicuticular wax is organized along a randomly oriented and intricate network of nanometer-thick and micrometer-long plates”
Claim · model-written summary
The density and degree of interconnection of the wax plates are significantly higher in the abaxial surface of carob leaflets.
- Taxon
- Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob)Ceratonia siliquat0
- Organ / stage
- abaxial surfacee5
- Outcome
- density and degree of interconnectione5
- Direction
- highere5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet”
e5“whose density and degree of interconnection are significantly higher in the abaxial surface”
Claim · model-written summary
The abaxial surface of carob leaflets has tilting angles of 12–70° indicating unusual variable density and water adhesion of the plate texture.
- Taxon
- Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob)Ceratonia siliquat0
- Organ / stage
- abaxial surfacee6
- Outcome
- tilting anglese6
- Value
- 12–70°e6
- Qualifier
- unusual variable density and water adhesion of the nanostructured plate-based texturee6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet”
e6“The measured tilting angles for the abaxial surface (12–70°) reveal unusual variable density and water adhesion of the nanostructured plate-based texture”
Claim · model-written summary
Light reflectance of the glaucous abaxial surface is significantly higher than that of the nonglaucous adaxial surface of carob leaflets.
- Taxon
- Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob)Ceratonia siliquat0
- Organ / stage
- glaucous abaxial surfacee7
- Outcome
- light reflectancee7
- Direction
- highere7
- Comparator
- nonglaucous adaxial surfacee7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet”
e7“light reflectance/absorbance of the glaucous abaxial surface is significantly higher/lower than that of the nonglaucous adaxial surface”
Claim · model-written summary
Light absorbance of the glaucous abaxial surface is significantly lower than that of the nonglaucous adaxial surface of carob leaflets.
- Taxon
- Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob)Ceratonia siliquat0
- Organ / stage
- glaucous abaxial surfacee7
- Outcome
- absorbancee7
- Direction
- lowere7
- Comparator
- nonglaucous adaxial surfacee7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet”
e7“light reflectance/absorbance of the glaucous abaxial surface is significantly higher/lower than that of the nonglaucous adaxial surface”
Claim · model-written summary
Diffuse reflectance is dominant on both carob leaflet surfaces.
- Taxon
- Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob)Ceratonia siliquat0
- Organ / stage
- both surfacese1
- Outcome
- diffuse reflectancee1
- Qualifier
- dominante1
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet”
e1“In both surfaces, diffuse reflectance is dominant”
Claim · model-written summary
The absorbance of carob leaflet surfaces is weakly dependent on the light incidence angle.
- Taxon
- Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob)Ceratonia siliquat0
- Outcome
- absorbancee1
- Qualifier
- weakly dependent on the light incidence anglee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet”
e1“the absorbance is weakly dependent on the light incidence angle”
Claim · model-written summary
The highly dense nanostructured platelike texture of the epicuticular abaxial layer is asserted to reflect solar radiation diffusely and so lower surface temperature.
- Taxon
- Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob)Ceratonia siliquat0
- Organ / stage
- epicuticular abaxial layere2
- Outcome
- surface temperaturee1
- Qualifier
- reflects solar radiation diffuselye1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet”
e1“it reflects solar radiation diffusely to lower the surface temperature”
e2“the highly dense nanostructured platelike texture of the epicuticular abaxial layer of the C. siliqua leaflet works as a sophisticated light and water management system”
Claim · model-written summary
The nanostructured platelike texture is asserted to enable gas exchange, transpiration and evaporation in carob leaflets.
- Taxon
- Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob)Ceratonia siliquat0
- Outcome
- gas exchange (photosynthesis and respiration), transpiration, and evaporatione2
- Qualifier
- the highly dense nanostructured platelike texturee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet”
e1“the highly dense nanostructured platelike texture of the epicuticular abaxial layer of the C. siliqua leaflet works as a sophisticated light and water management system”
e2“Such attributes enable efficient gas exchange (photosynthesis and respiration), transpiration, and evaporation”
Claim · model-written summary
Reproducing the wax texture with 1-octacosanol-grafted siloxane hybrid materials is proposed as a suitable route to duplicate the carob abaxial surface with high fidelity.
- Taxon
- Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob)Ceratonia siliquat0
- Outcome
- a suitable route to duplicate the abaxial surface with high fidelitye1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet”
e1“the reproduction of the wax texture via the synthesis of 1-octacosanol-grafted siloxane-based hybrid materials is proposed as a suitable route to duplicate the abaxial surface with high fidelity”