Fabrications of artificial plastron devices and measurements of their oxygen permeability

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25600021
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Nanomaterials chemistry
• Research Institution: Chitose Institute of Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: HIRAI Yuji 千歳科学技術大学, 総合光科学部, 講師 (30598272)
• Research Collaborator: SHIMOMURA Masatsugu 千歳科学技術大学, 総合光科学部, 教授 (10136525)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: ナノ表面・界面 / 生体模倣材料 / プラストロン / 自己組織化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Oxygen is an essential 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 attempted to prepare artificial plastrons by using self-organized honeycomb-patterned films. In this report, we showed the preparation of artificial plastron and measurements of O2 permeability in water. As a result, durable honeycomb films made from poly(Bisphenol-A-carbonate), which resists water pressure, were obtained. The polystyrene bottles with 3.5 mm diameter holes were covered by honeycomb films, and O2 absorber was inserted into the bottles. By measuring inside O2 concentration, it was suggested that O2 was transferred from water to bottle inside via the films, and the film acted as artificial plastrons.

Free Research Field

ナノ・マイクロ科学