Years ago, German scientist Wilhelm Barthlott noticed that microbumps on the skin of the lotus plant could ball up rainwater and pearl off dirt from its skin, leaving it clean and dry. Barthlott called this self-cleaning structure the Lotus Effect.
German company Sto AG draws on the Lotus Effect to make its facade paint, called StoLotusan. The company says that when the paint dries, it is highly water and dirt repellent, keeping buildings cleaner for longer periods of time.
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