Water and Dirt

Innovation from Nature

Butterflies look impeccably clean from their first day to their last. No dust, no dirt, no water droplet sticks to them. Even honey beads off their wings without leaving a trace.

How it works: An ultra-thin layer of air coats the fat-polished structures of butterfly wings. As a result, dirt cannot gain a foothold, water breaks up into tiny droplets, and not even sticky substances such as honey adhere to the surface.

→ Coatings modelled on butterfly wings are used, for example, in air-purifier filters, displays, tiles, crockery and clothing. One way to achieve this is to take an impression of a butterfly wing. This negative mould, made of plastic (polymer), can then be used to produce an exact copy of the surface structure on materials such as glass.