Investigation and duplication of the structure, property and growing mechanism of nature occurring materials is one of the frontiers in material science. The bioadhesion of marine organisms, such as mussels, has drawn strong interest in the last decades. The proteins secreted by the byssus inspired scientists to prepare special binders with excellent adhesive ability. In addition, special wettability of botanic leaves is also a long lasting research area in biomimetic field.

Dr. Xu Jian’s group in the Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry in the Institute of Chemistry CAS combined the structural and functional biomimicry, and developed a universal and easy method of fabricating superhydrophobic microparticles by using dopamine, a structural mimic of mussel adhesive protein, as a platform. This method operated under mild condition and can be used in large scale. It can change the wettability of various kinds of microparticles, from a few hundreds of nanometers to tens of micrometers, and from hydrophilic to hydrophobic materials. Particles with different sizes and compositions can be modified in one pot. With clever choice of core materials, new possibilities and applications could be brought up. Magnetic superhydrophobic particles were prepared which could be used as oil-absorbent and magnetic controlled carrier. “Oil marble”, an oil drop encapsulated by magnetic particles, was formed underwater spontaneously for the first time. It could be preserved for months and is expected to have potentials in micro reactor and sensors. This work was published in J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2012,134, 9879–9881.

(a)　  Scheme and (b) SEM image of PS, PMSQ and SiO₂ superhydrophobic particles fabricated in one pot. (Image by ZHANG Liang)

Pictures of (a) water/oil separation and (b) an “oil marble” under water. (Image by ZHANG Liang)