In writing The Gecko’s Foot, one technique of biomimetics was so obvious that I missed it altogether. Nature’s nano-structures – whether it be the fine structure of butterfly wing scales or the bumpy surface of self-cleaning lotus leaf or the millions of tiny spatula hairs on a gecko’s foot or the calcite lens of a brittle star – have optical or superhydrophobic or powerful adhesive properties that we would dearly love to replicate. It didn’t occur to me that instead of trying to find synthetic methods of duplicating them, it might be possible to simply use the natural structure as a template, creating a negative of the structure which can then be used to mould the replica. This is now a growing technique. It is often said that we shouldn’t copy nature slavishly – we should be smarter than that – but sometimes it might just be the best bet. Incidentally, the journal in which the following review appears is a valuable source of updates.
Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, 2011, 6 No 3, September, 031001.
Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, 2011, 6 No 3, September, 031001.
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