from the conferences organized by TANGER Ltd.
Hierarchical structures found in nature exhibit specific properties such as low wettability or low reflectance. The aim of this initial study is to present the behaviour of a synthetic hierarchical structure prepared by the replication of plant surfaces, such as from the pansy flower. Natural materials serve their purpose for the necessary time. Synthetic hierarchical structures should be used in technical practice in the long term, for precisely required purposes. However, they do not have self-repairing capabilities, since they are not dynamic but static systems. The polyethylene used to replicate the selected natural structure shows very good results and the prepared replicas match the natural patterns very well. In addition, polyethylene is a commercially available, easy-to-process material with satisfactory mechanical properties. Its disadvantage is easy scratching of the surface. Depending on the material used and the specific nature of the surface structure, different pH environments (pH 5, pH 9) were selected for the evaluation of degradation. Circulating water with quartz sand particles of 20 to 60 microns were selected for surface abrasion simulation. Furthermore, the degradation test of samples in an outdoor environment and evaluation of selected substances adsorption on the sample surface was performed. The degradation processes were monitored and evaluated for 1 month in this initial study. Scanning electron microscopy was used as a basic method for characterization of polymer replicas surface changes.
Keywords: Hierarchical structures, plant surface replicas, polyethylene, degradation© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.