Recent Advances in the Field of Bioinspired Materials and Systems

Abstract

Bioinspired and biomimetic materials have revolutionized many aspects in the engineering sciences, ranging from basic technologies to advanced applications such as the Gecko's nanostructure for sticky tapes or the sharkskin for swimming suits. Research in these subjects in Germany has been supported by several national priority research programs since 2009 (SPP 1420: Biomimetic Materials Research: Functionality by Hierarchical Structuring of Materials, [1] SPP 1569: Generation of Multifunctional Inorganic Materials by Molecular Bionics, 2012-2019 [2] ), which strongly accelerated developments and investigations in the field. Recently, also photonic applications of bioinspired strategies have come within reach, demonstrating the huge potential of the approach nature has chosen in many directions (SPP 1839: Tailored Disorder -A science-and engineering-based approach to materials design for advanced photonic applications, 2015-2024 [3] ). These developments have been accompanied by a biennial DGM Bioinspired Materials conference series, which was launched in 2012. [4] The present Advanced Functional Materials feature issue now proudly presents accompanying papers from the 6 th DGM "Bioinspired Materials [5] " together with additional most recent and advanced research work pushing the limits of our exciting interdisciplinary research field. The collected perspectives, reviews and research articles represent the current state-of-the-art in the design of functional and structural materials and systems inspired by principles found in living nature. Main topics of this include the study and formation of hierarchical structures and the properties of complex-shaped biological materials. The transfer of biological principles into functional materials and systems made of organic and/or inorganic components represents a further main area. Beside synthesis and