Nanobiodiversity: The Potential of Extracellular Nanostructures

Orozco, Felipe; Alfaro-González, Brian; Ureña, Yendry Corrales; Villalobos, Karolina; Sanchez, Angie; Bravo, Francisco; Vega, José Roberto; Argüello-Miranda, Orlando

doi:10.7569/jrm.2017.634110

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…Hydrophobic cuticular features have incredible potential in almost all categories of engineering and material science applications. Since hydrophobicity frequently elicits antimicrobial behavior and other functionalities, one major prospective application of insect-inspired surfaces is within the medical field [ 28 , 35 , 48 , 53 , 75 , 118 ]. The efficacy of surgical tools, biomedical implants, prosthetics, medical devices, and medical diagnostics tools could all potentially be improved by implementing functional attributes of various insect cuticle structures.…”

Section: Discussion and Bioinspired Design Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With over one million described insect species and an estimated 5.5 million undescribed species [ 125 ], we have just barely begun to explore the true extent of hydrophobic cuticular structures found in insects. We believe that the diversity of novel hydrophobic structures in insects will only continue to grow along with their potential applications and our discovery of new species, especially in hyper-biodiverse regions of the world [ 75 ]. It is therefore crucial to preserve insect biodiversity, not only to benefit our own society and industries, but to combat the challenges of human-related defaunation and climate change.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Staying Dry and Clean: An Insect’s Guide to Hydrophobicity

Bello

Alleyne

2022

Insects

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Insects demonstrate a wide diversity of microscopic cuticular and extra-cuticular features. These features often produce multifunctional surfaces which are greatly desired in engineering and material science fields. Among these functionalities, hydrophobicity is of particular interest and has gained recent attention as it often results in other properties such as self-cleaning, anti-biofouling, and anti-corrosion. We reviewed the historical and contemporary scientific literature to create an extensive review of known hydrophobic and superhydrophobic structures in insects. We found that numerous insects across at least fourteen taxonomic orders possess a wide variety of cuticular surface chemicals and physical structures that promote hydrophobicity. We discuss a few bioinspired design examples of how insects have already inspired new technologies. Moving forward, the use of a bioinspiration framework will help us gain insight into how and why these systems work in nature. Undoubtedly, our fundamental understanding of the physical and chemical principles that result in functional insect surfaces will continue to facilitate the design and production of novel materials.

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