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Artificial Biomimetic Materials

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomaterials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2025 | Viewed by 1604

Special Issue Editors

School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
Interests: biomanufacturing; bionic micro/nano fabrication; micro/nano robotics; flexible sensors

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Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering (KLBE), Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Interests: biomimetic structures; bio-inspired composites; bionic engineering; biointerfaces
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nature has created abundant materials, structures, and systems over millions of years of evolution, which often outperform the man-made types. Learning from nature, artificial biomimetic materials are constructed to mimic sophisticated structures or functions of natural materials, aiming to solve the critical challenges faced by humanity. Typical examples of artificial biomimetic materials involve biotemplated materials, bio-inspired functional surfaces (e.g., water collecting, superhydrophobic), and bio-inspired functional structures (e.g., helical structures, hierarchical structures). Thereon, the enormous research development has further promoted multidisciplinary integrated innovation and scientific breakthrough. Hence, it should be meaningful and beneficial to assess recent advances and future perspectives of artificial biomimetic materials, aiming to inspire the relevant research and promote the development in the related fields.

This Special Issue mainly focuses on the latest research progress and original insights in artificial biomimetic materials, including, but not limited to, the topics of biotemplated and biomimetic fabrication, biomimetic functional surfaces, biomimetic functional materials, biomimetic sensors, bionic engineering application, and so on. We sincerely invite material scientists, mechanical engineers, biologists, physicists, and chemists from all over the world to contribute to the Special Issue. In addition, we would like to create an international academic platform for global researchers in the related fields to share their contributions and together promote the high-quality development of biomimetic materials in the interdisciplinary field.

Dr. De Gong
Dr. Zhengzhi Mu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • biotemplated and biomimetic fabrication
  • biomimetic functional surfaces
  • biomimetic functional materials
  • biomimetic sensors
  • bionic engineering application

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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16 pages, 5784 KiB  
Article
Diatom-Based Artificial Anode—Uniform Coating of Intrinsic Carbon to Enhance Lithium Storage
by Junlong Luo, Jun Cai, De Gong, Aoping Guo, Jaw-Kai Wang and Jiangtao Zhang
Materials 2024, 17(18), 4473; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17184473 - 12 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1172
Abstract
Pursuing improved electrode materials is essential for addressing the challenges associated with large-scale Li-ion battery applications. Specifically, silicon oxide (SiOx) has emerged as a promising alternative to graphite anodes, despite issues related to volume expansion and rapid capacity degradation. In this [...] Read more.
Pursuing improved electrode materials is essential for addressing the challenges associated with large-scale Li-ion battery applications. Specifically, silicon oxide (SiOx) has emerged as a promising alternative to graphite anodes, despite issues related to volume expansion and rapid capacity degradation. In this study, we synthesized carbon-coated SiOx using diatom biomass derived from artificially cultured diatoms. However, the inherent carbon content from diatoms poses a significant challenge for the electrochemical performance of diatom-based anodes in large-scale applications. Subsequently, we conducted further research and demonstrated excellent performance with a carbon content of 33 wt.% as anodes. Additionally, real-time characterization of the carbonization process was achieved using thermogravimetry coupled with infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (TG-FTIR-GCMS), revealing the emission of CO and C3O2 during carbonization. Furthermore, electrochemical tests of the processed diatom and carbon (PD@C) anode exhibited outstanding rate capability (~500 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1), high initial Coulomb efficiency (76.95%), and a DLi+ diffusion rate of 1.03 × 10−12 cm2 s−1. Moreover, structural characterization techniques such as HRTEM-SAED were employed, along with DFT calculations, to demonstrate that the lithium storage process involves not only reversible transport in Li2Si2O5 and Li22Si5, but also physical adsorption between the PD and C layers. Exploring the integration of diatom frustules with the intrinsic carbon content in the fabrication of battery anodes may contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms behind their successful application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artificial Biomimetic Materials)
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