Preparations of the Artificial Plastron Device by Self-Organized Honeycomb-Patterned Films

Abstract

Oxygen is an indispensable resource for action of humans or autonomous underwater vehicles in water. However, it is limited in the present situation because of a capacity of O₂ cylinders. In nature, there are some insects, which utilize superhydrophobic hair structures as physical gills, semipermanently living in water. We focused on this physical gill of the plastron and prepared artificial plastrons by using self-organized honeycomb-patterned films. As result, durable honeycomb-patterned films resisting water pressure were obtained, and O₂ transferred from air to water though the films. This phenomenon suggests the honeycomb-patterned films showed possibility of use as artificial plastrons. [DOI: 10.1380/ejssnt.2015.90]