Surface Coating for Glass and Ceramic Inspired by the Pitcher Plant

Innovation: Industry

spotLESS Materials

2020

Image: tngmarketing35 / Pixabay / Public Domain - No restrictions

Physically Assemble Structure

Living systems use physical materials to create structures to serve as protection, insulation, and other purposes. These structures can be internal (within or attached to the system itself), such as cell membranes, shells, and fur. They can also be external (detached), such as nests, burrows, cocoons, or webs. Because physical materials are limited and the energy required to gather and create new structures is costly, living systems must use both conservatively. Therefore, they optimize the structures’ size, weight, and density. For example, weaver birds use two types of vegetation to create their nests: strong, a few stiff fibers and numerous thin fibers. Combined, they make a strong, yet flexible, nest. An example of an internal structure is a bird’s bone. The bone is comprised of a mineral matrix assembled to create strong cross-supports and a tubular outer surface filled with air to minimize weight.

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Maintain Biodiversity

The greater the amount of genetic and species variation in an ecosystem, the more resilient that ecosystem is to disturbances. Variation in ecosystems across the Earth also contributes to the Earth’s resilience to unpredictable changes. This variation is called biodiversity. Because living systems compete with each other for scarce resources, maintaining biodiversity involves creating conditions for a large variety of species to successfully co-occur and reproduce. For example, within a wetland, there are different vegetation types. This diversity results in a complex mosaic of microenvironments as the vegetation types alter air flows, light regimes, and water temperatures and chemistry. Because organisms vary in their ideal environmental conditions, these micro-environments increase the diversity of plants in the wetland. In turn, having a wetland in an otherwise dry area increases biodiversity at an even larger scale.

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Control Erosion and Sediment

Ecosystems must maintain their soils on site and prevent it from being washed away. Organic matter, minerals, and other nutrients in soil support organisms from microorganisms to the largest mammals. But because of the pull of gravity, water flows unless impeded. Therefore, the presence and actions of many, diverse organisms hold soils in place and slow water to allow sediments to settle out rather than be washed downhill. For example, in forests, downed logs that fall crossways to the slope efficiently slow water flow, trapping soils carried by the water and causing water to soak into the soil. In areas lacking logs and other structures, water can flow so fast that it cuts into the soil, causing erosion that washes the soil away.

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Protect From Dirt/solids

When dirt and other small solids adhere to living systems, they can slow them down, create blockages, reduce their ability to carry out vital functions, or cause surface wear and tear. Due to electrostatic forces, it’s easy for dirt and other solids to adhere to surfaces, so living systems must overcome those forces. An earthworm, for example, uses a small electric current to keep soil particles from adhering to its body as it moves through the soil. This enables it to move more efficiently by reducing drag.

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Protect From Excess Liquids

While water is essential to life, too much water or other liquids can overwhelm living systems. Excess liquids can, for example, decrease a living system’s access to oxygen, promote excessive bacterial or fungal growth, or strip away soil and nutrients. To prevent the accumulation of excess liquids, living systems must control the movement of liquids across their boundaries or surfaces. They do so using waterproofing materials or structures, slowing flow, and/or facilitating flow to move the liquid away. Plant leaves, for example, commonly have waxy surfaces comprised of water-repelling chemicals to keep water from engorging the leaves or facilitating bacterial and fungal growth.

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spotLESS from spotLESS Materials is a sprayable coating that keeps surfaces clean without the use of harsh chemicals.

Benefits

Non-toxic
Reduced water use
Reduced chemical use

Applications

Residential and commercial buildings

UN Sustainable Development Goals Addressed

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities
Goal 12: Responsible Production & Consumption

The Challenge

Surface contamination affects multiple industries and can be costly and time-intensive to treat. An estimated 3.58T L of fresh water (enough to sustain 68% of the global population’s drinking needs) is used to flush waste away each year in the US. Reducing the labor, cleaning chemicals, and flush volumes required to keep toilets and other surfaces clean has enormous global water and energy-saving potential.

Innovation Details

spotLESS is a sprayable coating that repels liquid, sludge, bacteria, mineral deposits, and more. It contains a liquid-infused nanosponge that was inspired by the slippery surface of the pitcher plant. spotLESS can keep surfaces like toilets clean, drastically reducing the amount of water and cleaning chemicals required. It is available for home use, and can be sprayed onto glass and ceramic at ambient conditions.

Watch how spotLESS Materials was inspired by the pitcher plant to make a new type of surface coating.

Biological Model

Pitcher plants trap insects and other small prey when they land on the rounded rim of the pitcher and fall in, ending up in a pool of digestive juices. The surface of the rounded rim is especially slippery, making it difficult for insects to grab hold and escape. The pitcher owes its slipperiness to a thin wet film on the surface, which drastically reduces friction between the plant and insect feet.

See Related Content

macro photo of red and green plant with water droplets on it

Biological Strategy

Pitcher Rims Are Extremely Slippery

Tropical pitcher plants

Rims of the pitcher plant are extremely slippery due to a liquid film overlaying a microtextured surface.

Ray of Hope Prize

The Ray of Hope Prize® celebrates nature-inspired solutions addressing the world’s biggest environmental and sustainability challenges. Created in honor of Ray C. Anderson, founder of Interface, Inc. and a business and sustainability leader, the $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize helps startups cross a critical threshold in becoming viable businesses by amplifying their stories and providing them with equity-free funding. The prize shines a light on the innovative, nature-inspired solutions that we need to build a sustainable and resilient world. spotLESS Materials was selected as a Finalist for the 2020 Ray of Hope Prize.

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