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BIOMIMETICS

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 WHAT IS BIOMIMETICS?

Biomimetics is an interdisciplinary field in which principles from engineering, chemistry and biology are applied to the synthesis of materials, synthetic systems or machines that have functions that mimic biological processes. Biomaterials are any natural or synthetic material that interacts with any part of a biological system. Biomimetic designs could be used in regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and drug delivery.


COMMON EXAMPLES IN BIOMIMETICS

The Pyramids, skyscrapers, supersonic flight - despite the incredible ingenuity and engineering ability humans have demonstrated over the past millennia, we are continually looking for new inspiration and ways to improve our designs. Given evolution has the benefit of millions of years of trial and error to perfect its designs in nature, it is logical that human construction can benefit in drawing from its influence.

This approach to human innovation, via emulating nature, is called biomimetic design and has inspired many of our greatest creations - from buildings to bionic cars.

- WHALE WIND TURBINES

The humpback whale weighs an astonishing 36 tonnes, yet it is one of the most elegant swimmers, divers and jumpers in the sea. As first researched by Frank Fish, a biomechanic, these aerodynamic abilities are greatly attributed to the bumpy protrusions on the front of its fins, called tubercles.

Similar to the processes of aircraft wings, whales use their fins at different steepening angles to increase their lift. Too much tilt though, and the opposite will occur and they’ll stall – a loss of lift due to current turbulence and the formation of eddies in the water.



-VELCRO

George de Mestral was inspired to invent Velcro after noticing how easy it was for burrs to stick to his dog’s hair. Upon studying them under a microscope, he noticed the simple design of tiny hooks at the end of the burr’s spines. These were able to catch anything with a loop, such as fur and fabric, and he went on to replicate this synthetically. His two-part velcro fastening system uses a strip of loosely looping nylon opposite a strip of tiny hooks, and has since been prolific in its range of applications and popularity.


-LOTUS-INSPIRED HYDROPHOBIA

The lotus effect, otherwise known as superhydrophobicity, is the effect seen on the leaves of the Lotus flower, where water is not able to wet the surface and simply rolls off. This high repellence is due to the nanostructure of the plane, where micro-protrusions coated in waxy hydrophobic materials repel the water. This is also a self-cleaning mechanism as dirt particles also stick to the water molecule.



ADVANCES IN BIOMIMETICS

Understanding the fundamentals of natural design, structure, and function has pushed the limits of current knowledge and has enabled us to transfer knowledge from the bench to the market as a product. In particular, biomimicry-one of the crucial strategies in this respect-has allowed researchers to tackle major challenges in the disciplines of engineering, biology, physics, materials science, and medicine. It has an enormous impact on these fields with pivotal applications, which are not limited to the applications of biocompatible tooth implants, programmable drug delivery systems, biocompatible tissue scaffolds, organ-on-a-chip systems, wearable platforms, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), and smart biosensors. Among them, MIPs provide a versatile strategy to imitate the procedure of molecular recognition precisely, creating structural fingerprint replicas of molecules for biorecognition studies. Owing to their affordability, easy-to-fabricate/use features, stability, specificity, and multiplexing capabilities, host-guest recognition systems have largely benefitted from the MIP strategy. This review article is structured with four major points: (i) determining the requirement of biomimetic systems and denoting multiple examples in this manner; (ii) introducing the molecular imprinting method and reviewing recent literature to elaborate the power and impact of MIPs on a variety of scientific and industrial fields; (iii) exemplifying the MIP-integrated systems, i.e., chromatographic systems, lab-on-a-chip systems, and sensor systems; and (iv) closing remarks.





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