Biomimetic Materials and Bioinspired MEMS/NEMS Sensors

Dear Colleagues,

Biological sensors found in nature have some of the best designs with incomprehensible features. Knowledge obtained from natural systems could significantly benefit the engineering of artificial devices. Bioinspired studies try to look outside the traditional domains into natural environmental processes, to find key inspiration in order to result in novel designs for engineering systems. Many biological species found in nature are equipped with extraordinary sensing systems that work on diverse sensing principles. Many of these biological sensors demonstrate a staggering range of multifaceted functionalities that exceed the range of sensing capabilities of most human engineered sensors. Nature has already solved many problems that humans are tackling. Therefore, translating nature-based engineering solutions to artificial man-made technologies could lead to many innovative solutions to solve crucial problems. In the past, inspired by sensors in nature, humans have learnt how to fly like a bird, extract energy like a leaf, compute like a cell, swim like a fish, create colors like a butterfly, harvest water like a desert beetle, keep clean like a lotus leaf, sense like skin, etc.

This issue will welcome scientific contributions on the design, fabrication, experimental characterization, and idea conceptualization of sensors inspired by nature. Micro-/nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), microsensors, nanosensors, structures and surfaces, materials, composite systems, transducers, novel materials, biomimetic materials, electroactive polymers, piezoelectric and ferroelectric materials all inspired by nature will be the main focus of this Special Issue. This Special Issue will also feature nature-inspired scientific ideas, modeling and applications, nature-inspired robots, theoretical predictions, and experimental validations of various concepts inspired by nature.

Dr. A.G.P. (Ajay) Kottapalli
Guest Editor

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.

• MEMS/NEMS
• biomimetic materials
• soft matter
• transducers and actuators
• smart materials
• surfaces and composite materials
• piezoelectric materials
• electroactive polymers