Leaf-mimicking polymers for hydrophobicity and high transmission haze

Abstract

Gifted with unique optical and hydrophobic properties, the plant leaves have been recently considered as micro/ nanostructure prototypes for functional surface engineering. Imprinting bio-inspired structures onto surfaces can yield in similar functional properties than in the nature. In this article, we report on a simple and effective method to copy leaf surface structures onto poly-(methyl methacrylate) sheets. The replicated surface structures reduce optical reflectance and enhance optical haze. Besides, the artificial polymer sheets exhibit good hydrophobic properties. Correlation between optical haze and hydrophobicity was studied.