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Biomimetics
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Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication
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Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication

A special issue of Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomimetics of Materials and Structures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 30478

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhengzhi Mu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
2. Weihai Institute for Bionics, Jilin University, Weihai 264207, China
Interests: biomimetic composites; bioinspired functional structures; bionic interface engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wenxin Cao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Composite Materials and Structures, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, China
Interests: nanocomposites; interface engineering; carbon materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bionic science and engineering, as one of the most typical inter-disciplines, has demonstrated its astonishing, vibrant, and promising development trend in recent decades. Affected by this, emerging biomimetic composites have shown extraordinary potential in many traditional fields, including aerospace engineering, mechanical industries, homeland security, etc. In particular, nature-inspired design and demand-driven fabrication toward high-performance biomimetic composites are attracting extensive attention in both fundamental research and applied engineering areas.

The innovative design and scale-up fabrication of biomimetic composites featuring light weight, high strength, and great toughness are consistently hot topics and long-term pursuits for material scientists and engineers. However, due to the inherent complexity of biological species in nature, it is still an open problem to fully figure out the work mechanism underlying their remarkable mechanical performance. It could be incredibly challenging but beneficial to map out this complicated constitutive relationship, thus bridging the visible gap between outstanding biomechanics and advanced composites. Moreover, rational trade-off strategies of futuristic designs against practical applications could also inspire researchers toward possible advances in broader realms.

This Special Issue aims to outline the status quo, as well as original insights and the latest advances that touch upon the design, model, fabrication, characterization, and application of all aspects of biomimetic composites, with a special focus on nature-inspired design strategy and demand-driven fabrication methods. We enthusiastically welcome all the relevant theoretical, modeling, experimental contributions in the form of articles and reviews from biomimeticians, material scientists, chemists, physicists, and engineers worldwide, engaging in transdisciplinary research.

Dr. Zhengzhi Mu
Dr. Wenxin Cao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomimetics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nature-inspired design method
  • biomimetic fabrication process
  • nanocomposites
  • composite interfaces
  • multiscale modeling of composites
  • constitutive relations of composites
  • advanced fiber composites
  • bulletproof composites
  • composite molding techniques
  • proof-of-concept of novel composites

Published Papers (14 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 7711 KiB  
Article
Creation of a 3D Goethite–Spongin Composite Using an Extreme Biomimetics Approach
by Anita Kubiak, Alona Voronkina, Martyna Pajewska-Szmyt, Martyna Kotula, Bartosz Leśniewski, Alexander Ereskovsky, Korbinian Heimler, Anika Rogoll, Carla Vogt, Parvaneh Rahimi, Sedigheh Falahi, Roberta Galli, Enrico Langer, Maik Förste, Alexandros Charitos, Yvonne Joseph, Hermann Ehrlich and Teofil Jesionowski
Biomimetics 2023, 8(7), 533; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8070533 - 09 Nov 2023
Viewed by 2173
Abstract
The structural biopolymer spongin in the form of a 3D scaffold resembles in shape and size numerous species of industrially useful marine keratosan demosponges. Due to the large-scale aquaculture of these sponges worldwide, it represents a unique renewable source of biological material, which [...] Read more.
The structural biopolymer spongin in the form of a 3D scaffold resembles in shape and size numerous species of industrially useful marine keratosan demosponges. Due to the large-scale aquaculture of these sponges worldwide, it represents a unique renewable source of biological material, which has already been successfully applied in biomedicine and bioinspired materials science. In the present study, spongin from the demosponge Hippospongia communis was used as a microporous template for the development of a new 3D composite containing goethite [α-FeO(OH)]. For this purpose, an extreme biomimetic technique using iron powder, crystalline iodine, and fibrous spongin was applied under laboratory conditions for the first time. The product was characterized using SEM and digital light microscopy, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, XRD, thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), and confocal micro X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (CMXRF). A potential application of the obtained goethite–spongin composite in the electrochemical sensing of dopamine (DA) in human urine samples was investigated, with satisfactory recoveries (96% to 116%) being obtained. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication)
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14 pages, 4700 KiB  
Article
An Underactuated Adaptive Microspines Gripper for Rough Wall
by Xinxin Li, Wenqing Chen, Xiaosong Li, Xin Hou, Qian Zhao, Yonggang Meng and Yu Tian
Biomimetics 2023, 8(1), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8010039 - 16 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1886
Abstract
Wall attachment has great potential in a broad range of applications such as robotic grasping, transfer printing, and asteroid sampling. Herein, a new type of underactuated bionic microspines gripper is proposed to attach to an irregular, rough wall. Experimental results revealed that the [...] Read more.
Wall attachment has great potential in a broad range of applications such as robotic grasping, transfer printing, and asteroid sampling. Herein, a new type of underactuated bionic microspines gripper is proposed to attach to an irregular, rough wall. Experimental results revealed that the gripper, profiting from its flexible structure and underactuated linkage mechanism, is capable of adapting submillimeter scale roughness to centimeter scale geometry irregularity in both normal and tangential attachment. The rigid-flexible coupling simulation analysis validated that the rough adaptation was achieved by the passive deformation of the zigzag flexible structure, while the centimeter-scale irregularity adaptation come from the underactuated design. The attachment test of a spine confirmed that a 5 mm sliding distance of the spine tip on the fine brick wall promises a saturated tangential attachment force, which can guide the stiffness design of flexible structure and parameter selection of underactuated linkage. Furthermore, the developed microspines gripper was successfully demonstrated to grasp irregular rocks, tree trunks, and granite plates. This work presents a generally applicable and dexterous passive adaption design to achieve rough wall attachment for flat and curved objects, which promotes the understanding and application of wall attachment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication)
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15 pages, 2171 KiB  
Article
Deuterohemin-Ala-His-Thr-Val-Glu-Lys (DhHP-6) Mimicking Enzyme as Synergistic Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Material for Periodontitis Therapy
by Jiaqing Yan, Min Liu, Yan Zhang, Ying Zhu, Qiuyan Chen, Yimeng Yang, Min Hu and Huimei Yu
Biomimetics 2022, 7(4), 240; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7040240 - 14 Dec 2022
Viewed by 2149
Abstract
Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease induced by plaque microorganisms. In the clinic, antibiotic assistant periodontal mechanical therapy is the most effective therapy for the treatment of periodontitis. However, the drug resistance of the antibiotics and the repeated coming and diminishing of the disorder [...] Read more.
Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease induced by plaque microorganisms. In the clinic, antibiotic assistant periodontal mechanical therapy is the most effective therapy for the treatment of periodontitis. However, the drug resistance of the antibiotics and the repeated coming and diminishing of the disorder of oxidation–reduction balance in the inflammatory tissue could not meet the high requirements for periodontic health control in long periods. Deuterohemin-ala-his-thr-val-glu-lys (DhHP-6) is a biomimetic oxidase-mimicking enzyme that simulates the reactive oxygen radical scavenger function of heme by synthesizing the new molecular material following the key structure and amino acid sequence of heme. In this article, we report the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of DhHP-6 by building a inflammatory model for human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) stimulated by lipolysaccharide (LPS) and its effects on periodontitis in Wistar rats. DhHP-6 reduced the oxidative stress of HGFs by increasing the amount of the reductase species of glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT) while decreasing the amount of oxidase species of malonaldehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). DhHP-6 had a dose-dependent protective effect on alveolar bone absorption in rats with periodontitis, enhanced antioxidant capacity, and reduced inflammation. As determined by Micro-CT scanning, DhHP-6 reduced alveolar bone loss and improved the bone structure of the left maxillary first molar of rats. There were no obvious morphological and histological differences in the rat organs with or without DhHP-6 treatment. These results suggest that DhHP-6 can be used to treat periodontitis by increasing the expression levels of antioxidant enzymes and antioxidants in systemic and local tissues, thereby reducing levels of oxidation products and cyto-inflammatory factors. The synergistic antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of DhHP-6 suggest that there are promising applications of this biomimetic enzyme molecular material for the next generation of agents for periodontitis therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication)
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21 pages, 4245 KiB  
Article
The Biomimetics of Mg2+-Concentration-Resolved Microenvironment for Bone and Cartilage Repairing Materials Design
by Zhengqiang Li, Xiaoxue Zheng, Yixing Wang, Tianyi Tao, Zilin Wang, Long Yuan and Bing Han
Biomimetics 2022, 7(4), 227; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7040227 - 05 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2124
Abstract
With the increase in population aging, the tendency of osteochondral injury will be accelerated, and repairing materials are increasingly needed for the optimization of the regenerative processes in bone and cartilage recovery. The local environment of the injury sites and the deficiency of [...] Read more.
With the increase in population aging, the tendency of osteochondral injury will be accelerated, and repairing materials are increasingly needed for the optimization of the regenerative processes in bone and cartilage recovery. The local environment of the injury sites and the deficiency of Mg2+ retards the repairing period via inhibiting the progenitor osteogenesis and chondrogenesis cells’ recruitment, proliferation, and differentiation, which results in the sluggish progress in the osteochondral repairing materials design. In this article, we elucidate the Mg2+-concentration specified effect on the cell proliferation, osteochondral gene expression, and differentiation of modeling chondrocytes (extracted from New Zealand white rabbit) and osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1). The concentration of Mg2+ in the culture medium affects the proliferation, chondrogenesis, and osteogenesis: (i) Appropriate concentrations of Mg2+ promote the proliferation of chondrocytes (1.25–10.0 mM) and MC3T3-E1 cells (2.5–30.0 mM); (ii) the optimal concentration of Mg2+ that promotes the gene expression of noncalcified cartilage is 15 mM, calcified cartilage 10 mM, and subchondral bone 5 mM, respectively; (iii) overdosed Mg2+ leads to the inhibition of cell activity for either chondrocytes (>20 mM) or osteoblasts (>30 mM). The biomimetic elucidation for orchestrating the allocation of gradient concentration of Mg2+ in accordance of the physiological condition is crucial for designing the accurate microenvironment in osteochondral injury defects for optimization of bone and cartilage repairing materials in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication)
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14 pages, 4834 KiB  
Article
Bio-Inspired Eco-Friendly Superhydrophilic/Underwater Superoleophobic Cotton for Oil-Water Separation and Removal of Heavy Metals
by Feiran Li, Jian Wang, Zhuochao Wang, Dongchao Ji, Shuai Wang, Pengcheng Wei and Wenxin Cao
Biomimetics 2022, 7(4), 177; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7040177 - 26 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1826
Abstract
Effective integrated methods for oil-water separation and water remediation have signifi-cance in both energy and environment fields. Materials with both superlyophobic and superlyophilic properties toward water and oil have aroused great attention due to their energy-saving and high-efficient advantages in oil-water separation. However, [...] Read more.
Effective integrated methods for oil-water separation and water remediation have signifi-cance in both energy and environment fields. Materials with both superlyophobic and superlyophilic properties toward water and oil have aroused great attention due to their energy-saving and high-efficient advantages in oil-water separation. However, in order to fulfill the superlyophobicity, low surface tension fluorinated components are always being introduced. These constituents are environmentally harmful, which may lead to additional contamination during the separating process. Moreover, the heavy metal ions, which are water-soluble and highly toxic, are always contained in the oil-water mixtures created during industrial production. Therefore, material that is integrated by both capacities of oil-water separation and removal of heavy metal contamination would be of significance in both industrial applications and environmental sustainability. Herein, inspired by the composition and wettability of the shrimp shell, an eco-friendly chitosan-coated (CTS) cotton was developed. The treated cotton exhibits the superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic property and is capable of separating both immiscible oil-water mixtures and stabilized oil-in-water emulsions. More significantly, various harmful water-soluble heavy metal ions can also be effectively removed during the separation of emulsions. The developed CTS coated cotton demonstrates an attractive perspective toward oil-water separation and wastewater treatment in various applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication)
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19 pages, 7971 KiB  
Article
Bending Study of Six Biological Models for Design of High Strength and Tough Structures
by Guangming Chen, Tao Lin, Ce Guo, Lutz Richter and Ning Dai
Biomimetics 2022, 7(4), 176; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7040176 - 25 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1886
Abstract
High strength and tough structures are beneficial to increasing engineering components service span. Nonetheless, improving structure strength and, simultaneously, toughness is difficult, since these two properties are generally mutually exclusive. Biological organisms exhibit both excellent strength and toughness. Using bionic structures from these [...] Read more.
High strength and tough structures are beneficial to increasing engineering components service span. Nonetheless, improving structure strength and, simultaneously, toughness is difficult, since these two properties are generally mutually exclusive. Biological organisms exhibit both excellent strength and toughness. Using bionic structures from these biological organisms can be solutions for improving these properties of engineering components. To effectively apply biological models to design biomimetic structures, this paper analyses strengthening and toughening mechanisms of six fundamentally biological models obtained from biological organisms. Numerical models of three-point bending test are established to predict crack propagation behaviors of the six biological models. Furthermore, the strength and toughness of six biomimetic composites are experimentally evaluated. It is identified that the helical model possesses the highest toughness and satisfying strength. This work provides more detailed evidence for engineers to designate bionic models to the design of biomimetic composites with high strength and toughness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication)
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12 pages, 2386 KiB  
Article
Fast UV-Curable Zwitter-Wettable Coatings with Reliable Antifogging/Frost-Resisting Performances
by Hao Zhong, Xiaoxiao Liu, Boxin Yu and Shengzhu Zhou
Biomimetics 2022, 7(4), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7040162 - 13 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1626
Abstract
Antifogging surfaces with unique properties to migrate severe fog formation have gained extensive interest, which is of particular interest for transparent substrates to obtain high visibility and transparency. To date, a large number of strategies including superhydrophilic or superhydrophobic surfaces and titanium dioxide [...] Read more.
Antifogging surfaces with unique properties to migrate severe fog formation have gained extensive interest, which is of particular interest for transparent substrates to obtain high visibility and transparency. To date, a large number of strategies including superhydrophilic or superhydrophobic surfaces and titanium dioxide (TiO2)-based composite coatings have been developed based on different mechanisms. Although these surfaces exhibit effective antifogging properties, the rigid nanostructures, cumbersome preparation, and the need for UV light excitation largely limit their widespread applications. Herein, we report a zwitter-wettable antifogging and frost-resisting coating through a fast UV-curable cross-linking of copolymer with benzophenone groups. A series of random copolymers consisting of hydrophilic hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEA), hydrophobic methyl methacrylate (MMA), and benzophenone-based acrylate units are developed by thermally triggered free-radical polymerization. Upon UV light irradiation, a highly efficient antifogging/frost-resisting coating is covalently bonded on a polycarbonate plate surface, maintaining a light transmission higher than 85%, which was confirmed in both high and low temperature anti-fog tests. Moreover, the wetting behaviors reveal that the antifogging performance exhibited by the zwitter-wettable surface mainly relies on its surface water-adsorbing capability to imbibe condensed water vapor on the surface outmost layer. Notably, the antifogging/frost-resisting behaviors can be well regulated by adjusting the hydrophilic/hydrophobic units, due to the proper balance between the water-adsorption and coating stability. Owing to its simplicity, low-cost preparation and high efficiency, this UV-curable acrylate antifogging coating may find a wide range of applications in various display devices in analytical and detection instruments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication)
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12 pages, 3311 KiB  
Article
The Mechanical and Antibacterial Properties of Boron Nitride/Silver Nanocomposite Enhanced Polymethyl Methacrylate Resin for Application in Oral Denture Bases
by Miao Li, Sifan Wang, Ruizhi Li, Yuting Wang, Xinyue Fan, Wanru Gong and Yu Ma
Biomimetics 2022, 7(3), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7030138 - 19 Sep 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2371
Abstract
The introduction of nanomaterials into polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resin has been effective for mechanically reinforcing PMMA for application in oral denture bases. However, these methods cannot simultaneously improve the mechanical and antibacterial properties, which limits widespread clinical application. Here, we self-assembled binary nanocomposites [...] Read more.
The introduction of nanomaterials into polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resin has been effective for mechanically reinforcing PMMA for application in oral denture bases. However, these methods cannot simultaneously improve the mechanical and antibacterial properties, which limits widespread clinical application. Here, we self-assembled binary nanocomposites of boron nitride nanosheets (h-BNNs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as nanofillers and incorporated the nanofillers into PMMA. The aim of this study was to achieve antibacterial effects while significantly improving the mechanical properties of PMMA and provide a theoretical basis for further clinical application. We employed scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy (Raman), Ultraviolet visible spectrum (UV) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to investigate the microscopic morphology and composition of PMMA containing nanocomposites with different mass fraction. In addition, the content of the h-BNNs/AgNPs was 1 wt%, and the compressive strength and flexural strength of pure PMMA were improved by 53.5% and 56.7%, respectively. When the concentration of the nanocomposite in the PMMA resin was 1.4 wt%, the antibacterial rate was 92.1%. Overall, synergistically reinforcing PMMA composite resin with a multi-dimensional nanocomposite structure provided a new perspective for expanding not only the application of resins in clinical settings but also the research and development of new composite resins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication)
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13 pages, 3196 KiB  
Article
A Biomimetic Basalt Fiber/Epoxy Helical Composite Spring with Hierarchical Triple-Helix Structures Inspired by the Collagen Fibers in Compact Bone
by Jiahui Wang, Zhongyuan Shi, Qigang Han, Yanbiao Sun, Mingdi Shi, Rui Li, Rubin Wei, Bin Dong, Wen Zhai, Wenfang Zheng, Yueying Li and Nuo Chen
Biomimetics 2022, 7(3), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7030135 - 16 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1903
Abstract
The lightweight property of helical composite spring (HCS) applied in the transportation field has attracted more and more attention recently. However, it is difficult to maintain stiffness and fatigue resistance at the same time. Herein, inspired by collagen fibers in bone, a bionic [...] Read more.
The lightweight property of helical composite spring (HCS) applied in the transportation field has attracted more and more attention recently. However, it is difficult to maintain stiffness and fatigue resistance at the same time. Herein, inspired by collagen fibers in bone, a bionic basalt fiber/epoxy resin helical composite spring is manufactured. The collagen fibers consist of nanoscale hydroxyapatite (increases stiffness) and collagen molecules composed of helical amino acid chains (can increase fatigue resistance). Such a helical structure of intercalated crystals ensures that bone has good resistance to fracture. Specifically, we first investigated the effect of adding different contents of NS to basalt fibers on the stiffness and fatigue properties of an HCS. The results show that the optimal NS content of 0.4 wt% resulted in 52.1% and 43.5% higher stiffness and fatigue properties of an HCS than those without NS, respectively. Then, two braided fiber bundles (TS-BFB) and four braided fiber bundles (FS-BFB) were designed based on the helical structure of amino acid chains, and the compression tests revealed that the maximum load resistance of TS-BFB and FS-BFB was increased by 29.2% and 44%, respectively, compared with the conventional single fiber bundle (U-BFB). The superior mechanical performance of TS-BFB and FS-BFB is attributed to the more adequate bonding of 0.4 wt% NS to the epoxy resin and the multi-fiber bundles that increase the transverse fiber content of the spring. The findings in this work introduce the bionic collagen fiber structure into the design for an HCS and provide a new idea to improve the spring performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication)
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16 pages, 10363 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Evaluation of PDMS/Carbon Soot Particles Superhydrophobic Biomimetic Composite Coating with Self-Cleaning and Durability
by Fengqin Li, Yong Liu, Honggen Zhou and Guizhong Tian
Biomimetics 2022, 7(3), 132; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7030132 - 13 Sep 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2216
Abstract
In this paper, a superhydrophobic biomimetic composite coating was fabricated on brass by electrochemical etching, brushing PDMS adhesive layer, and depositing carbon soot particles. Due to the microstructure and the optimized ratio of PDMS, the contact angle of the superhydrophobic coating is up [...] Read more.
In this paper, a superhydrophobic biomimetic composite coating was fabricated on brass by electrochemical etching, brushing PDMS adhesive layer, and depositing carbon soot particles. Due to the microstructure and the optimized ratio of PDMS, the contact angle of the superhydrophobic coating is up to 164° and the sliding angle is only 5°. The results of optical microscopy and morphometric laser confocal microscopy show that the prepared coating surface has a rough hierarchical structure. A high-speed digital camera recorded the droplet bouncing process on the surface of the superhydrophobic coating. The self-cleaning property of the coatings was evaluated by applying chalk dust particles as simulated solid contaminants and different kinds of liquids (including grape juice, beer, cola, and blue ink) as liquid contaminants. The coating remained superhydrophobic after physical and chemical damage tests. This work presents a strategy for fabricating superhydrophobic biomimetic composite coatings with significant self-cleaning properties, durability, and shows great potential for practical engineering applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication)
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13 pages, 6179 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Bioinspired Nacreous Structure on Strength and Toughness
by Biao Tang, Shichao Niu, Jiayi Yang, Chun Shao, Ming Wang, Jing Ni, Xuefeng Zhang and Xiao Yang
Biomimetics 2022, 7(3), 120; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7030120 - 27 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1876
Abstract
The toughening mechanism of the nacre was widely investigated in recent decades, which presents a great prospect for designing high performance composite materials and engineering structures with bioinspired structures. To further elucidate which structural parameters and which kinds of morphology of the nacre-inspired [...] Read more.
The toughening mechanism of the nacre was widely investigated in recent decades, which presents a great prospect for designing high performance composite materials and engineering structures with bioinspired structures. To further elucidate which structural parameters and which kinds of morphology of the nacre-inspired structure are the best for improving tensile strength without sacrificing too much toughness is extremely significant for composite materials and engineering structures. The “brick-and-mortar” structure is a classical nacre-inspired bionic structure. Three characteristic structural parameters, including the aspect ratio ρ of the brick length and width, the thickness ratio β between the thickness of brick and mortar, and the spacing ratio τ between the width of brick and mortar, were used as variables to study their effect on tensile strength and toughness. It was found that ρ was the most prominent factor in determining the strength and toughness, and τ could improve the strength and toughness almost simultaneously. Racked and wedged morphology of the structural unit were established based on the structural parameters of the regular staggered unit, and were used to compare tensile behavior. It was found that the model with the wedged unit possessed the highest strength and toughness, and could absorb more strain energy during fracture crack growing. The crack propagation path further illustrated that the crack resisting ability of the wedged unit was the best. Our simulation results presented the connection between three characteristic structural parameters with the strength and toughness, and proved that the wedged staggered unit was the best in improving the strength and toughness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication)
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13 pages, 3709 KiB  
Article
Bio-Design, Fabrication and Analysis of a Flexible Valve
by Zirui Liu, Bo Sun, Jiawei Xiong, Jianjun Hu and Yunhong Liang
Biomimetics 2022, 7(3), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7030095 - 14 Jul 2022
Viewed by 1981
Abstract
Fluid-driven soft robots offer many advantages over robots driven by other means in terms of universal preparation processes and high-power density ratios, but are largely limited by their inherit characteristics of rigid pressure sources, fluid control elements and complex fluid pipelines. In this [...] Read more.
Fluid-driven soft robots offer many advantages over robots driven by other means in terms of universal preparation processes and high-power density ratios, but are largely limited by their inherit characteristics of rigid pressure sources, fluid control elements and complex fluid pipelines. In this paper, inspired by the principle of biofluid control and actuation, we combine simulation analysis and experimental validation to conduct a bionic design study of an efficient flexible fluid control valve with different actuation diaphragm structures. Under critical flexural load, the flexible valve undergoes a continuous flexural instability overturning process, generating a wide range of displacements. The sensitivity of the flexible valve can be improved by adjusting the diaphragm geometry parameters. The results show that the diaphragm wall thickness is positively correlated with the overturning critical pressure, and the radius of curvature is negatively correlated with the overturning critical pressure. When the wall thickness of the flexible valve maintains the same value, as the radius of curvature increases, the critical buckling load and recovery load of diaphragm overturning is a quadratic function of opposite opening, and the pressure difference converges to the minimum value at the radius of curvature R = 7. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication)
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16 pages, 3430 KiB  
Review
Tooth Diversity Underpins Future Biomimetic Replications
by Di Wang, Shuangxia Han and Ming Yang
Biomimetics 2023, 8(1), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8010042 - 18 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2437
Abstract
Although the evolution of tooth structure seems highly conserved, remarkable diversity exists among species due to different living environments and survival requirements. Along with the conservation, this diversity of evolution allows for the optimized structures and functions of teeth under various service conditions, [...] Read more.
Although the evolution of tooth structure seems highly conserved, remarkable diversity exists among species due to different living environments and survival requirements. Along with the conservation, this diversity of evolution allows for the optimized structures and functions of teeth under various service conditions, providing valuable resources for the rational design of biomimetic materials. In this review, we survey the current knowledge about teeth from representative mammals and aquatic animals, including human teeth, herbivore and carnivore teeth, shark teeth, calcite teeth in sea urchins, magnetite teeth in chitons, and transparent teeth in dragonfish, to name a few. The highlight of tooth diversity in terms of compositions, structures, properties, and functions may stimulate further efforts in the synthesis of tooth-inspired materials with enhanced mechanical performance and broader property sets. The state-of-the-art syntheses of enamel mimetics and their properties are briefly covered. We envision that future development in this field will need to take the advantage of both conservation and diversity of teeth. Our own view on the opportunities and key challenges in this pathway is presented with a focus on the hierarchical and gradient structures, multifunctional design, and precise and scalable synthesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication)
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13 pages, 1595 KiB  
Review
Biomimetic Self-Assembled Chiral Inorganic Nanomaterials: A New Strategy for Solving Medical Problems
by Rong Wei, Xueying Gao, Ziwei Cao, Jing Wang and Yu Ma
Biomimetics 2022, 7(4), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics7040165 - 14 Oct 2022
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Abstract
The rapid expansion of the study of chiral inorganic structures has led to the extension of the functional boundaries of inorganic materials. Nature-inspired self-assembled chiral inorganic structures exhibit diverse morphologies due to their high assembly efficiency and controlled assembly process, and they exhibit [...] Read more.
The rapid expansion of the study of chiral inorganic structures has led to the extension of the functional boundaries of inorganic materials. Nature-inspired self-assembled chiral inorganic structures exhibit diverse morphologies due to their high assembly efficiency and controlled assembly process, and they exhibit superior inherent properties such as mechanical properties, chiral optical activity, and chiral fluorescence. Although chiral self-assembled inorganic structures are becoming more mature in chiral catalysis and chiral optical regulation, biomedical research is still in its infancy. In this paper, various forms of chiral self-assembled inorganic structures are summarized, which provides a structural starting point for various applications of chiral self-assembly inorganic structures in biomedical fields. Based on the few existing research statuses and mechanism discussions on the chiral self-assembled materials-mediated regulation of cell behavior, molecular probes, and tumor therapy, this paper provides guidance for future chiral self-assembled structures to solve the same or similar medical problems. In the field of chiral photonics, chiral self-assembled structures exhibit a chirality-induced selection effect, while selectivity is exhibited by chiral isomers in the medical field. It is worth considering whether there is some correspondence or juxtaposition between these phenomena. Future chiral self-assembled structures in medicine will focus on the precise treatment of tumors, induction of soft and hard tissue regeneration, explanation of the biochemical mechanisms and processes of its medical effects, and improvement of related theories. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Composites: Nature-Inspired Design and Demand-Driven Fabrication)
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