Biomimetics on the micro- and nanoscale – The 25th anniversary of the lotus effect

• Matthias Mail,
• Kerstin Koch,
• Thomas Speck,
• William M. Megill and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 850–856, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.69

• processes by the authors. They looked to a seemingly unrelated archetype, the xylem system of trees, which uses pits instead of extrusions to create its surface properties. This led the team to a new approach and eventually to a successful product. The authors present the case study as a reminder that the

Straight roads into nowhere – obvious and not-so-obvious biological models for ferrophobic surfaces

• Wilfried Konrad,
• Christoph Neinhuis and
• Anita Roth-Nebelsick

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1345–1360, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.111

• furnace; Collembola; gas/liquid interfaces; interfacial effects; persistant air layers; pits; Salvinia molesta; surfaces; tuyère failure; water transport in plants; xylem; Young–Laplace equation; Introduction and Motivation The basic concept of biomimetics is the derivation of technical applications from

• . Identification of a not-so-obvious biological model An improbable biological model for ferrophobic surfaces: xylem structures of vascular plants In a former biomimetic project (the research project “Hydrotex”, see appendix A), in which one co-author (W. K.) participated, the project goal was to construct a drag

• background, which has, at first sight, nothing to do with water-repellent biological surfaces. It originated from research dealing with the xylem, the water transport system of plants, which had been pursued by two-co-authors for many years (A. R.-N. and W. K.). A technical exploitation of the transport

Bioinspired self-healing materials: lessons from nature

• Joseph C. Cremaldi and
• Bharat Bhushan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 907–935, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.85

• and growth as cells are stationary once formed. For example, Figure 7A shows the xylem and surrounding tissue of Xea mays [28]. In this picture, each of the compartments (xylem included) has formed from a single cell to fulfil a need within the plant. The meristematic plant cell is the equivalent of

• an undifferentiated stem cell in animals. The central xylem in Xea mays in Figure 7A(a) has grown to 30,000× its meristem size [71]. These cells grow to become whatever tissue the plant requires, including cells in the stems, roots, flowers, and leaves. To sum up, the most basic unit of a plant, the

Humidity-dependent wound sealing in succulent leaves of Delosperma cooperi – An adaptation to seasonal drought stress

• Olga Speck,
• Mark Schlechtendahl,
• Florian Borm,
• Tim Kampowski and
• Thomas Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 175–186, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.20

• ) comprising five tissue layers: epidermis (ep) with window cells (wc), chlorenchyma (ch), net of peripheral vascular bundles (nvb), parenchyma (pa) and central vascular bundle (cvb). (b, c) Cross-sections of vascular tissues with xylem (xy) and phloem (ph), (b) central vascular bundle, (c) peripheral vascular