Biomimetic materials research: what can we really learn from nature's structural materials?

TLDR

Nature offers diverse functional materials that inspire biomimetic research, but translating these ideas into technology requires more than observation, as opportunities span growth, adaptation, hierarchical structuring, damage repair, and self‑healing. A thorough analysis of structure‑function relations in natural tissues must precede the engineering of new bio‑inspired materials. Serendipitous discovery from the observation of nature will be gradually replaced by a systematic approach involving the study of natural tissues in materials laboratories, the application of engineering principles to further develop bio‑inspired ideas, and the generation of specific databases.

Abstract

Nature provides a wide range of materials with different functions and which may serve as a source of bio-inspiration for the materials scientist. The article takes the point of view that a successful translation of these ideas into the technical world requires more than the observation of nature. A thorough analysis of structure-function relations in natural tissues must precede the engineering of new bio-inspired materials. There are, indeed, many opportunities for lessons from the biological world: on growth and functional adaptation, about hierarchical structuring, on damage repair and self-healing. Biomimetic materials research is becoming a rapidly growing and enormously promising field. Serendipitous discovery from the observation of nature will be gradually replaced by a systematic approach involving the study of natural tissues in materials laboratories, the application of engineering principles to the further development of bio-inspired ideas and the generation of specific databases.