Biomimetic materials
Bionics and biomimetics became important only after 1960, and it was only in the new millennium they became worldwide disciplines with high potentials for innovation. An apparently simple observation can lead to new materials, structures and design principles, but the technical transformation and realization may take a much longer time. Biomimetic materials provide innovative solutions for the design of a new generation of bio inspired functional materials.
See also the Thematic Series:
Biological and biomimetic materials and surfaces
Biological and bioinspired adhesion and friction
See videos about biomimetics at Beilstein TV.
- Review
- Published 01 Feb 2011
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Figure 1: Two examples from nature: (a) Lotus effect [12], and (b) scale structure of shark reducing drag [21].
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Figure 2: Schematic of velocity profiles of fluid flow without and with boundary slip. The definition of slip...
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Figure 3: Schematic of the experimental flow channel connected with a differential manometer. The thickness, ...
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Figure 4: (a) SEM micrographs taken at top view, 45° tilt angle side view and 45° tilt angle top view, show s...
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Figure 5: SEM micrographs taken at 45º tilt angle (shown using three magnifications) of nanostructure on flat...
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Figure 6: Pressure drop as a function of flow rate in the channel with various surfaces using water flow. The...
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Figure 7: Bar chart showing the slip length in the channel with various surfaces using water flow in laminar ...
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Figure 8: Pressure drop as a function of flow rate in the channel with flat acrylic resin and rib-patterned s...
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Figure 9: Pressure drop as a function of flow rate in the channel with various surfaces using air flow. The f...
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Figure 10: Pressure drop as a function of flow rate in the channel with flat acrylic resin and rib-patterned s...
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Figure 11: Schematics of a droplet of liquid showing philic/phobic nature in three different phase interface o...
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Figure 12: Schematics of a solid–water–oil interface system. A specimen is first immersed in water phase, then...
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Figure 13: SEM micrographs taken at a 45° tilt angle showing two magnifications of (a) the micropatterned surf...
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Figure 14: Optical micrographs of droplets in three different phase interfaces on flat epoxy resin and micropa...
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Figure 15: Static contact angle as a function of geometric parameters for water droplet (circle) and oil dropl...
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Figure 16: Static contact angle as a function of geometric parameters for water droplet (circle) and oil dropl...
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Figure 17: Optical micrographs of droplets in three different phase interfaces on nanostructure and hierarchic...
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Figure 18: Optical micrographs of droplets in three different phase interfaces on shark skin replica without a...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 10 Mar 2011
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Figure 1: Lateral view on the water bug Notonecta glauca.
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Figure 2: Selected air retaining body parts of Notonecta glauca: A,B) setae on the abdominal sternites; C,D) ...
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Figure 3: Submerged body parts of Notonecta glauca in the course of time. All surfaces were treated with a hy...
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Figure 4: Air retention [classes] of the submerged surfaces of Notonecta glauca vs time. All surfaces were tr...
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Figure 5: Air covered surface on the upper side of the elytron at increasing inflow velocity.
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Figure 6: Averaged velocity field over the elytron surface (upper side).
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Figure 7: Velocity component u parallel to the elytron surface recorded along path in Figure 6.
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 10 Mar 2011
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Figure 1: Effect of droplets of blue-dyed water on a thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane: a) droplet ca...
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Figure 2: Effect of droplets of water on a thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane ribbon substrate hanging...
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Figure 3: Initial and final states involved in a droplet wrapping event for a flexible ribbon membrane with r...
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Figure 4: Formation of a liquid marbles: a) droplet contacting substrate composed of loose grains, b) attachm...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 10 Mar 2011
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Figure 1: (a) Lotus leaves, which exhibit extraordinary water repellency on their upper side. (b) Scanning el...
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Figure 2: Epidermis cells of the leaf upper side with papillae. The surface is densely covered with wax tubul...
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Figure 3: SEM images of the papillose leaf surfaces of Nelumbo nucifera (Lotus) (a), Euphorbia myrsinites (b)...
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Figure 4: The contact between water and superhydrophobic papillae at different pressures. At moderate pressur...
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Figure 5: Measured forces between a superhydrophobic papilla-model and a water drop during advancing and rece...
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Figure 6: Papillose and non-papillose leaf surfaces with an intact coating of wax crystals: (a) Nelumbo nucif...
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Figure 7: Traces of natural erosion of the waxes on the same leaves as in Figure 6: (a) Nelumbo nucifera (Lotus); (b) ...
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Figure 8: Test for the stability of the waxes against damaging by wiping on the same leaves: (a) Nelumbo nuci...
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Figure 9: SEM and LM images of cross sections through the papillae. Lotus (a,b) and Euphorbia myrsinites (c,d...
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Figure 10: Epicuticular wax crystals in an area of 4 × 3 µm2. The upper side of the lotus leaf (a) has the hig...
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Figure 11: Chemical composition of the separated waxes of the upper and lower side of the lotus leaf. The uppe...
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Figure 12: X-ray diffraction diagram of upperside lotus wax. The ‘long spacing’ peaks indicate a layer structu...
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Figure 13: Model of a wax tubule composed of layers of nonacosan-10-ol and nonacosanediol molecules. The OH-gr...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 24 Mar 2011
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Figure 1: Arborescent monocotyledons. (A) Dracaena draco, (B) Dracaena yuccaeifolia, (C) Yucca sp., (D) Panda...
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Figure 2: Branch–stem-junction of Freycinetia insignis and Dracaena reflexa. (A) F. insignis, longitudinal se...
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Figure 3: Breaking experiments. Different modes of fracture found in Dracaena reflexa. (A) Fracture in the st...
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Figure 4: Bivariate, double logarithmic plot of maximal forces vs diameter of lateral branches (d1 or d2 depe...
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Figure 5: Bivariate, double logarithmic plot of fracture toughness until maximal force vs diameter of lateral...
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Figure 6: Bivariate, double logarithmic plot of stress at failure vs diameter of lateral branches (d1 or d2 d...
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Figure 7: Prototype of biomimetically optimised, braided branched fibre reinforced technical compound structu...
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Figure 8: Breaking experiments. Schematic drawing of the geometry and parameters used for calculations. The d...
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Figure 9: Breaking experiments. A critical force Fcrit is applied to a branch of Dracaena reflexa by means of...
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Figure 10: Breaking experiments. Exemplary force-displacement diagrams showing maximal force and displacement ...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 30 Mar 2011
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Figure 1: Infrared receptors in Melanophila beetles (A) and pyrophilous bug species of the genus Aradus (B). ...
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Figure 2: Schematic drawings of single IR receptors of Melanophila (A) and Aradus (B). 1: outer exocuticle; 2...
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Figure 3: Principle of a gas-filled Golay sensor with optical read-out. For explanations see text.
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Figure 4: Comparison of the sensillum (left) with the model of the sensor (right).
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Figure 5: Maximum central deflection ymax of a circular membrane as function of factor Ω and irradiation time...
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Figure 6: IR power density as function of the cavity axis for different liquids. Suprasil® 300 was used as th...
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Figure 7: Temperature distribution along the cavity axis 50 ms after the onset of irradiation for different l...
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Figure 8: Temperature distribution along the cavity axis z 0.5 s after the onset of irradiation for a water-f...
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Figure 9: Pressure difference ΔP of a circular membrane at t = 0.5 s as a function of factor Ω for a water-fi...
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Figure 10: Maximum central deflection ymax of a circular membrane at t = 0.5 s as function of factor Ω for a w...
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Figure 11: Left: model of the pressure core in the sensillum connected by nanocanals with the outer compartmen...
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Figure 12: Pressures in the cavity, PC, and in the reservoir, PR, as a function of time for a cavity with a vo...
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Figure 13: Comparison of time constants for a compensation leak of a cavity filled with water or with CO2 gas ...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 13 Apr 2011
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Figure 1: The three lizard species under investigation. (A) Moloch horridus with an array of spikes covering ...
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Figure 2: Different sizes and morphologies of scales of Phrynosoma cornutum. (A) Dorsal (back) scales along t...
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Figure 3: Water spreading on the reptiles' surfaces. A droplet of 5 µl was applied through a syringe and brou...
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Figure 4: Scale of Phrynosoma cornutum dipped into deionised water. The freshly prepared scale (A) exhibits a...
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Figure 5: Micro ornamentation of the scales of the three investigated lizard species. (A) Moloch horridus sho...
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Figure 6: Water spreading on epoxy replica of moisture harvesting reptiles. A 5 µl droplet of water was appli...
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Figure 7: Water condensation on epoxy replicas of structured surfaces. The epoxy replicas were cut into disks...
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Figure 8: Water transport in interscalar capillaries. The behaviour of coloured water on the integument of th...
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Figure 9: Water transport velocity in the capillary system. Two typical examples of results of a frame-to-fra...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 20 Apr 2011
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Figure 1: Sphere like droplets of fluid #1 (grey) attached to an axially symmetric solid cone (the broken lin...
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Figure 2: Thin lines: Curves of constant surface formation energy W (ε, θ) of an equilibrated droplet of volu...
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Figure 3: Surface formation energy W (ε, θ) of an equilibrated droplet of volume V. Values of W are given as ...
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Figure 4: Line-up of cones. The apex half-angle ε increases from left to right. For θ = const. and 0° < θ < 9...
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Figure 5: Double line-up of cones similar to a zip fastener constructed from the left part of Figure 4. The apex half...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 27 Apr 2011
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Figure 1: Precipitated aragonite needles (left) and calcite rhombohedrons (right). Upper: light microscopy im...
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Figure 2: X-ray diffraction patterns of precipitated aragonite (upper) and calcite rhombohedrons (lower). Pur...
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Figure 3: SDS-PAGE of proteins after different preparational steps as follows. M: marker proteins of known si...
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Figure 4: SDS-PAGE of control experiment with lysozyme. M: marker proteins of known size. L, L*: high concent...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 04 May 2011
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Figure 1: Macro photo of a water droplet on a flower of the wild pansy (Viola tricolor).
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Figure 2: SEM micrographs of the petal surfaces (1a–4a), the uncoated polymer replicas (1b–4b) and the coated...
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Figure 3: Diagram of the micropapillae dimensions of the average papilla shape on the upper surface of the Co...
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Figure 4: Static CAs of 5 µl water droplets on the surfaces of fresh (original) petals, their uncoated and co...
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Figure 5: TAs of 5 µl water droplets on the surfaces of fresh (original) Cosmos, Dahlia, Rosa and Viola flowe...
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Figure 6: Cryo-SEM micrograph of the micropapillae of a Viola petal in contact with the surface of a water-gl...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 25 May 2011
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Figure 1: Consecutive AFM images showing nonacosan-10-ol wax tubule growth on a single crystal Au(111) surfac...
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Figure 2: Initial stage formation of lotus wax tubules on a glassy carbon surface (a) and profile across the ...
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Figure 3: Change in tubule length (Figure 3a) and width (Figure 3b) versus time for two representative tubules (numbered as 1 a...
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Figure 4: Consecutive AFM images of Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) wax tubule growth on HOPG, about 32–230 minutes ...
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 06 Jun 2011
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Figure 1: Responses of sensor platform I to a human finger that moved alongside the ALLC with a velocity of a...
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Figure 2: A typical AN response to a dipole flow field. The sinusoidal voltage used to drive the mini-shaker ...
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Figure 3: The response of an artificial CN exposed to the vortices shed from a stationary cylinder (diameter ...
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Figure 4: Responses of ANA (upper line in each graph) and ANB (lower line in each graph) (for ANA and ANB see ...
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Figure 5: Responses of AN1 to AN8 (cf. Figure 6B) to bulk water flow. Note that the most prominent peak visible in the...
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Figure 6: Horizontal (left) and vertical (right) cross sections of platforms III (A) and IV (B) that were use...
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Figure 7: Velocity calculated with data obtained from AN1 to AN8 as function of bulk flow velocity. Note that...
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Figure 8: Scheme of an artificial CN. The drawing is not to scale.
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- Full Research Paper
- Published 16 Jun 2011
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Figure 1: Cryo-SEM micrographs of intact Nepenthes alata pitchers (A, D) and SEM micrographs of de-waxed pitc...
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Figure 2: Morphometrical variables and distribution of lunate cells measured in SEM micrograph of a de-waxed ...
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Figure 3: SEM micrographs of the distal part of the tarsus in the Coccinella septempunctata beetle. Inset sho...
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Figure 4: Results of traction force tests with Coccinella septempunctata beetles on different surfaces. (A) E...
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