In nature, lotus and rice leaves exhibit unusual hydrophobic and self-cleaning properties. This is due to a cooperative effect of microstructures and low surface energy materials on their surfaces. 

Up until now, most approaches for preparing artificial superhydrophobic surfaces have been achieved by surface roughening and lowering of the surface energy through techniques such as etching, chemical vapour deposition, and sol-gel processing. However, scientists in China have now constructed a convenient and inexpensive approach to mimic nature by using the reaction of metal salts with alkanethiols. 

Su Chen and colleagues, from Nanjing University of Technology, have created a method that utilizes a mercapto group in the alkanethiols to generate a coordination reaction with metal ions. This forms rough surfaces under certain conditions, allowing the hydrophobic alkyl group coated on the surface to form superhydrophobic surfaces in situ. They also discovered that metal alkanethiolates resulting from a combination of metal salts and alkanethiols possess 'flower-like' and 'leaf-like' morphology. 

According to Chen, this work will provide a simple and convenient method for fabricating a series of artificial superhydrophobic surfaces with a variety of applications in the future. 'In particular, this study will extend to new applications of metal alkanethiolate films, such as the field of self-cleaning,' said Chen. 

Jenna Wilson