Microscopy: The Gateway to Bio-Inspired Design Innovation

Abstract

New challenges and opportunities for microscopists lie in the emerging fields of biomimicry and bioinspired design.Organisms in nature have developed structures, processes, and materials to adapt to the context of their environment over the 3.8 billion years of life on earth.Biomimetic designs, including materials and surfaces, are created by studying and emulating the processes and structures found at the micro and nanoscale in nature that play a vital role in the performance of the organism.Strategies and principles of efficiency and effectiveness used by successful species in nature could be followed in creating innovative sustainable materials.An example is the self-cleaning properties of the leaves of the lotus flower in muddy water, dubbed the "lotus effect" [1].Dirt particles are picked up by water droplets which roll off the ultra-hydrophobic micro and nano-textured surface of the leaf.Surprisingly, the vast majority of studies in biomimetics have been in fields of chemistry, materials, and engineering.This interdisciplinary pursuit would benefit significantly by teaming up with biologists [2], and microscopists.