Pitcher Plant Biomimicry

The digestive fluid inside a Nepenthes pitcher sits at pH 2 — about as acidic as stomach acid. Yet scientists are most interested in its rim.

The ultra-slippery rim, called the peristome, sheds contaminants so well that it inspired SLIPS (Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces). These coatings now appear on medical instruments and marine equipment, where they resist the buildup of bacterial biofilm.