The lotus plant’s extraordinary ability to keep itself clean by means of the ultrafine surface structures on its leaves has led to Buddhism’s holy flower becoming rather a celebrity in our latitudes, too. Yet we can also observe this self-cleaning effect on our own indigenous plants such as the nasturtium, reed or lady’s mantle: water droplets just roll off the surface of their leaves, taking particles of dirt along with them.
Learning from nature’s example, science has recognized that it is not the smoothest possible surfaces but those with structures measuring some dozens of nanometers that repel dirt and water most effectively.