Abstract
FEATHERS repel water strongly because they are porous. Their porosity can cause a large air–water interface, relative to solid–water interface, to form under a drop resting on the system of interlocked barbs (the vane). In this way the apparent contact angle (θA) increases to values far greater than any (θ) known for plane surfaces1,2.
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References
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KENNEDY, R. Directional Water-shedding Properties of Feathers. Nature 227, 736–737 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1038/227736a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/227736a0
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