A lotus-leaf-like SiO2 superhydrophobic bamboo surface based on soft lithography

•Lotus-leaf-like microstructure surfaces were built on bamboo surfaces using soft lithography.•Nano SiO2 can improve the strength, water resistance, and thermal stability of bamboo.•The lotus-leaf like bamboos can effectively prevent moisture to invasion of bamboos, and improve the dimensional stability.•It opens up a new way for the researches of functional bamboos and will broaden the application prospects of bamboo.•It can prolong the bamboos' service life, and alleviate the contradiction between the supply and the demand of timber.

Biological microstructures have been a source of inspiration for scientific researchers and artists. In this paper, the microstructure of the lotus leaf was replicated on the bamboo surfaces by soft lithography, using a fresh lotus leaf as the template and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for a seal. And the hydrophobic monodisperse nano SiO2 microspheres were added to improve the strength, abrasion resistance, and water resistance of the bamboo surfaces. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) showed that the lotus-leaf-like bamboo had a polycrystalline surface, and the lotus-leaf-like topography played a very important role in the fabrication of the superhydrophobic surface. The water contact angle (WCA) of lotus-leaf-like bamboo surface was 152.5° with a low hysteresis showing a good superhydrophobic property. The successful preparation of the lotus-leaf-like bamboo provided a new method for researches on the water corrosion resistance of bamboos, and also confirmed the feasibility that hydrophilic surfaces like the bamboo could be achieved with the nanotechnology.

Graphical abstractA lotus-leaf-like rough surface was biomimeticly prepared on bamboo surfaces by transfer technology of soft lithography. The fresh lotus leaf and PDMS were as a template and seal. The lotus-leaf-like SiO2 superhydrophobic bamboos could effectively prevent moisture from invading bamboos and improve the dimensional stability, which will broaden the application prospects of bamboo.Download high-res image (100KB)Download full-size image