Dual role of outer epicuticular lipids in determining the wettability of dragonfly wings

Numerous natural surfaces possess superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning properties that would be extremely beneficial when applied in industry. Dragonfly wings are one example of such surfaces, and while their general surface structure is known, their precise chemical composition is not. Here, the epicuticular lipids of dragonfly wing membranes were characterized to investigate their significance in contributing to self-cleaning and superhydrophobic properties. After just 10 s of lipid extraction using chloroform, the water contact angles exhibited by the wings decreased below the accepted threshold for superhydrophobicity (150°). Infrared spectra collected at the Australian Synchrotron contained characteristic absorption bands of amide, ester and aliphatic hydrocarbons moieties on the wing surfaces, the latter of which was decreased post-extraction with chloroform. GC–MS data analysis revealed that the epicuticular wax components were dominated by n-alkanes with even-numbered carbons, especially n-hexacosane, and palmitic acid. SEM and AFM data analysis conducted on the untreated and chloroform-extracted wing surfaces demonstrated that surface topography changed after extraction; the surface nanostructure was progressively lost with extended extraction times. The data presented here indicate that epicuticular lipids contribute not only to self-cleaning and superhydrophobic properties through their inherent hydrophobic nature, but also by forming the physical structure of the wing surface. This knowledge will be extremely valuable for reconstruction of dragonfly wing structures as a biomimetic template.