Berlin 2001 – scientific programme

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CPP: Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 17: Poster: Spectroscopy and Single Particle Spectroscopy of Molecular Systems, Photoprocesses, Biological Systems

CPP 17.10: Poster

Tuesday, April 3, 2001, 12:30–15:00, AT1

WETTING OF PLANT LEAVES — •Alexander Otten, Jutta Wolf, and Stephan Herminghaus — Dep. of Applied Physics, University of Ulm

The wetting properties of plant leaves have recently attracted considerable interest in connection with the so-called Lotus effect, i.e. the remarkable capability of certain plants to repel impinging water droplets and thereby dispose of contaminants. The question how this dynamic hydrophobicity comes about turns out to be a challenge to theory, since some of the leaves are microscopically hydrophilic. A thorough understanding of these effects is very desirable in view of the wide range of potential applications in technology. We propose two simple, predictive models for the underlying mechanisms, one for microrough leaves and one for hairy leaves. Experimental results are presented which are consistent with our models.