Researchers develop artificial surfaces insects cannot stick to
Tuesday, September 24, 2013 - 08:00
in Biology & Nature
Beetles, cockroaches, and ants will have a harder time walking on facades or air conditioners in the future - thanks to the bio-inspired, anti-adhesive surfaces Prof. Dr. Thomas Speck, Dr. Bettina Prüm, and Dr. Holger Bohn are developing together with the Plant Biomechanics Group of the University of Freiburg. The team studied plant surfaces in order to determine what influence cell form and microstructure as well as surface chemistry exert on the adhesion behavior of insects.