Mondo Knows Facts
The lotus effect causes water droplets to roll off surfaces clean
Microscopic surface bumps prevent water from wetting surfaces picking up dirt as drops roll
The lotus effect describes the self-cleaning property observed on lotus leaves and specialized hydrophobic materials. Microscopic nanostructures coated with hydrophobic wax pillars prevent water droplets from spreading flat across the leaf. High contact angles force water droplets to roll off smoothly, collecting dust particles along the way.
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Tags: materials, hydrophobic, lotus effect
The lotus effect causes water droplets to roll off surfaces clean: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Microscopic surface bumps prevent water from wetting surfaces picking up dirt as drops roll. The figure is taken from Smithsonian, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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- Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
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