Editorial
Introduction to nature-inspired solutions for engineering
Marc-Olivier Coppens and Bharat Bhushan introduce the Molecular Systems Design & Engineering themed issue on nature-inspired solutions for engineering.
Perspective
Developmental bioengineering: recapitulating development for repair
A systematic, nature-inspired solution framework for bioengineering is presented. It applies universal concepts in natural development to inform designs for organ repair. The methodology is illustrated by considering retina and spinal cord repair.
Recent advances in biomimetic fog harvesting: focusing on higher efficiency and large-scale fabrication
Some advances toward realizing higher efficiency and large-scale the fabrication of fog harvesting materials based on bioinspired ideas.
Review Article
Unified mechanistic interpretation of amine-assisted silica synthesis methods to enable design of more complex materials
We present ‘joined-up’ thinking for several families of porous silicas; the mechanistic insights gained can help design structurally complex materials.
Bioinspired movement of gas bubbles: composition, applications, generation, contact angle, and movement – an overview
Bioinspired conical surfaces/triangular surfaces can be used to move gas bubbles, which can even defy gravity.
Engineering bio-inspired peptide–polyurea hybrids with thermo-responsive shape memory behaviour
This paper highlights the influence of peptide secondary structure on the shape memory behaviour of peptidic polyureas, driven by hydrogen bonding arrangement and microphase-separated morphology.
Microstructure study of fractured polar bear hair for toughening, strengthening, stiffening designs via energy dissipation and crack deflection mechanisms in materials
Crack propagation stopping inside the polar bear hair – a microstructure study to design the optimum toughening mechanism in materials.
Biomimetic liquid lenses actuated by a laser beam: effects of evaporation and orientation to gravity
Liquid lenses actuated by thermocapillary and solutocapillary forces via heating with a laser beam demonstrate a high level of adaptability.
Paper
Effects of charge and hydrophilicity on the anti-fouling properties of kidney-inspired, polyester membranes
Reducing membrane fouling using a nature-inspired approach: investigation of the effects of hydrophilicity and charge, separately and combined.
About this collection
From MSDE
Guest Editors: Professor Marc-Olivier Coppens (University College London, UK) and Professor Bharat Bhushan (Ohio State University, USA).
This special collection of papers showcases nature-inspired molecular design or optimisation strategies targeting systems function and performance in a variety of fields, including functional and composite materials, bioengineering and scalable manufacture.