The use of plant waxes as templates for micro- and nanopatterning of surfaces

Small wax sculptures on plant surfaces are responsible for a variety of functions, including the maintenance of sability, self-cleaning properties, prevention of insect attachment and reflection of light. Here we report on a method for using recrystallized plant wax crystals on flat technical surfaces for generating micro- and nanopatterned polymers with particular functions. Therefore a more than 4-thousand year old replica technique called the "lost wax technique" has been adapted for reproduction of complex, high aspect ratio surfaces and the large scale reproduction of micro- and nanopatterned surfaces. Highly ordered pyrolytic graphite substrates, covered with perpendicularly oriented platelets formed by the primary alcohol octacosan-1-ol, the main component of wheat (Triticum aestivum) leaf waxes, were used as templates to make an epoxy resin surfaces with high aspect ratio platelets 400-700 nm wide and 10-50 mu m thick. The technique holds great promise on the reproduction of micro- and nanopatterned surfaces. (C) 2007 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.