Biomimetic Artificial Nanostructured Surfaces

Abstract

379 IntroductionThe study and simulation of biological systems with desired properties is popularly known as biomimetics (from the Greek bios , meaning life, and mimesis , meaning to imitate). This approach involves the transformation of the ideas, concepts and underlying principles that have been developed by Nature into man -made technology. Biological systems have, through almost four billion years, discovered unique solutions for complex problems which are smart, energy -effi cient, agile, adaptable, fault -tolerant, eco -friendly, and multifunctional. Such solutions emerged as a direct consequence of evolutionary pressure which, typically, forces natural species to become highly optimized and effi cient. The adaptation of methods and systems found in Nature into synthetic constructs is therefore desirable, and Nature provides a unique source of working solutions that can serve as models of inspiration for synthetic paradigms.The superior functions found in natural systems are often achieved through a sophisticated control of structural features at all length scales, starting from the macroscopic world down to the fi nest detail, right down to the level of the atom. Although the building blocks of bone, cartilage, cuticle, mucus, and silk can be relatively simple, they are organized in a rather complex, often hierarchical, manner. Such structural complexity is possible because the manufacture, deposition, and secretion of biological entities are regulated at the cellular and subcellular (gene) level; thus, natural materials are not designed in their fi nal form, but rather are self -assembled.Although the concept of biomimetics emerged during the 1960s, it has been developing rapidly during the past decade due to advancements in nano -and biotechnologies. Currently, a large area of biomimetic research deals with functional micro -and nanostructures for nanoscale devices, water repellence, selfcleaning, drag reduction in fl uid fl ow, energy conversion and conservation, high adhesion, reversible adhesion, aerodynamic lift, materials and fi bers with high mechanical strength, antirefl ection, structural coloration, thermal insulation, selfhealing and sensory aid mechanisms. All of these exceptional functionalities are

Biomimetic surface structuring using cylindrical vector femtosecond laser beams

“…The CA measurements reveal a remarkable variation among the different surface morphologies, indicating that as the surface roughness increases the CA significantly increases as well. More importantly, the dual-rough HR morphology clearly exhibits a superhydrophobic nature, similar to the behavior exhibited by the natural suprhydrophobic archetype [ 1,2,4 ], i.e. the Lotus leaf surface.…”

“…Nature has always provided a plethora of functional surfaces exhibiting unique, complex hierarchical morphologies with dimensions of features ranging from the macroscale to the nanoscale. Such morphologies are always behind the superior properties exhibited by the natural surfaces, including extreme wetting, floatation, adhesion, friction and mechanical strength [ 1 ]. In this context, the design and the fabrication of biomimetic structures is of significant importance and provides a virtually endless potential for the development of novel artificial materials and systems.…”

“…Despite the increasing scientific interest, the complex structure of most of the natural surfaces has been proven to be extremely difficult to mimic. Several fabrication techniques have been developed, based on top-down and bottom-up processing schemes [ 1 ]. Among those, direct laser structuring is a material independent and versatile technique that presents some key benefits for precise surface modification, over competitive techniques [ 2 ].…”

Current trend in fabrication of complex morphologically tunable superhydrophobic nano scale surfaces

“…Zorba [16] reviewed artificial nanostructured surfaces produced by mimicking natural superhydrophobic surfaces. Their detailed review focused on different approaches employed to fabricate such nature-inspired artificial surfaces and their applications.…”

Surface structuring of bulk and thin film materials with polarized ultrashort laser pulses

“…Moreover, the rapid development of femtosecond laser sources over the years allows not only the exploitation of ultrashort pulses, but also, the advantage of creating well shaped light field in both space and time regimes 159,161 . Fabricating periodic structures on the surface and/or within the bulk provides the potential of enhancing advanced optical materials with a wide range of additional applications, including super-hydrophobicity 162,163 , fluid transport 164 , friction reduction 165 , tissue engineering 166 , data storage 167 , and light manipulation 168 .…”