Lotus leaves inspire innovation

Lotus leaves are very good at repelling water and dirt; attributes which are leading scientists to develop new technologies that mimic the lotus leaf, writes Green.Blorge.com.

For example, NASA is working on a coating for spaceflight gear that will repel dirt and bacteria. Duke University is working on creating lotus water repellent properties in man-made materials while Georgia Tech has used the same properties for photovoltaic arrays and other technology.

The lotus leaf's “superhydrophobicity has wide-ranging applications including self-cleaning materials, drag reduction, and water management.” Mimicking the lotus leaf's superhydorphobicity would also “promote dropwise condensation and enhance heat transport in microelectronics cooling”.

Sharp has released reports of a solar cell conversion efficiency that reaches 35.8% using a triple-junction compound solar cell, according to PV Tech.

The company reached its breakthrough as part of a research and development initiative supported by Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation with the theme of 'R&D on innovative solar cells'.

Contrasting with the commonly used silicon-based solar cells, the compound solar cell uses photo-absorption layers, which are made from a composite of two or more elements such as indium and gallium. For the past nine years, Sharp has been researching and developing a triple-junction compound solar cell that reaches high conversion efficiency by stacking three photo-absorption layers.

The eyes of an Australian marine crustacean could inspire the next generation of DVD and CD players, according to a study conducted by UK-based University of Bristol, says New Zealand PC World.

The study, published over the weekend in science journal Nature Photonics, found the complex 12-colour vision of mantis shrimps found in Australia's Great Barrier Reef could be utilised in optical devices.

Currently artificial quarter-wave plates utilised in devices like CD and DVD players worked well for only one colour of light, but the natural mechanism in the mantis shrimp's eyes worked almost perfectly across the whole visible spectrum - from near-ultra violet to infra-red, the study found.