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Biomimetics
Special Issues
Bioinspired Surfaces and Functions
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Bioinspired Surfaces and Functions

A special issue of Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomimetic Surfaces and Interfaces".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 10898

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Yongmei Zheng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
Interests: bioinspired wettability; micro- and nanostructures; bioinspired surfaces
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biological surfaces, e.g., lotus leaves, spider silk, cactus spines, butterfly wings, beetle backs, water strider legs, Nepenthes petals, feathers, gecko feet, fish skin, and compound eyes, have unique wettability and micro- and nanostructures for functions. Inspired by biological surfaces, surfaces with the isotropic micro- and nanostructures, anisotropic structures, heterogeneous wettable patterns, gradient roughness and conical geometry, spindle-knots and humped structures, and liquid-infused interfaces can be developed via bioinspired methods and techniques, including electrochemistry, soft lithography, dip-coating, microfluidics, electrospinning, imprinting, etc., to effectively achieve bioinspired surfaces, along with functions such as fogwater harvesting, water repellency, anti-icing, nanofluidic, droplet transport, which would be related to application realms, etc.

In this Special issue, the goal is to reveal novel bioinspired surfaces and functions investigated and designed in recent years, and advances in developing bioinspired surfaces for their applications.

This Special issue will be focused on the design, fabrication, technology of bioinspired surfaces, along with development in applications, such as anti-icing, water harvesting, droplet transport, heat transfer, droplet manipulation, fluid control, etc.

Prof. Dr. Yongmei Zheng
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomimetics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1353 KiB  
Article
The Relationship between Nanostructured Bio-Inspired Material Surfaces and the Free Energy Barrier Using Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics
by Fan Meng and Noriyoshi Arai
Biomimetics 2023, 8(6), 453; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8060453 - 25 Sep 2023
Viewed by 919
Abstract
Bio-inspired (biomimetic) materials, which are inspired by living organisms, offer exciting opportunities for the development of advanced functionalities. Among them, bio-inspired superhydrophobic surfaces have attracted considerable interest due to their potential applications in self-cleaning surfaces and reducing fluid resistance. Although the mechanism of [...] Read more.
Bio-inspired (biomimetic) materials, which are inspired by living organisms, offer exciting opportunities for the development of advanced functionalities. Among them, bio-inspired superhydrophobic surfaces have attracted considerable interest due to their potential applications in self-cleaning surfaces and reducing fluid resistance. Although the mechanism of superhydrophobicity is understood to be the free energy barrier between the Cassie and Wenzel states, the solid-surface technology to control the free energy barrier is still unclear. Therefore, previous studies have fabricated solid surfaces with desired properties through trial and error by measuring contact angles. In contrast, our study directly evaluates the free energy barrier using molecular simulations and attempts to relate it to solid-surface parameters. Through a series of simulations, we explore the behavior of water droplets on surfaces with varying values of surface pillar spacing and surface pillar height. The results show that the free energy barrier increases significantly as the pillar spacing decreases and/or as the pillar height increases. Our study goes beyond traditional approaches by exploring the relationship between free energy barriers, surface parameters, and hydrophobicity, providing a more direct and quantified method to evaluate surface hydrophobicity. This knowledge contributes significantly to material design by providing valuable insights into the relationship between surface parameters, free energy barriers, and hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Surfaces and Functions)
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18 pages, 12615 KiB  
Article
Bio-Piezoelectric Ceramic Composites for Electroactive Implants—Biological Performance
by Beatriz Ferreira Fernandes, Neusa Silva, Joana Faria Marques, Mariana Brito Da Cruz, Laura Tiainen, Michael Gasik, Óscar Carvalho, Filipe Samuel Silva, João Caramês and António Mata
Biomimetics 2023, 8(4), 338; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8040338 - 01 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1080
Abstract
Barium titanate (BaTiO3) piezoelectric ceramic may be a potential alternative for promoting osseointegration due to its piezoelectric properties similar to bone electric potentials generated in loading function. In this sense, the aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the [...] Read more.
Barium titanate (BaTiO3) piezoelectric ceramic may be a potential alternative for promoting osseointegration due to its piezoelectric properties similar to bone electric potentials generated in loading function. In this sense, the aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the cellular response of human osteoblasts and gingival fibroblasts as well as the impact on S. oralis when in contact with BaTiO3 functionalized zirconia implant surfaces with piezoelectric properties. Zirconia discs with BaTiO3 were produced and contact poling (piezo activation) was performed. Osteoblasts (hFOB 1.19), fibroblasts (HGF hTERT) and S. oralis were culture on discs. Cell viability and morphology, cell differentiation markers, bacterial adhesion and growth were evaluated. The present study suggests that zirconia composite surfaces with the addition of piezoelectric BaTiO3 are not cytotoxic to peri-implant cells. Also, they seem to promote a faster initial osteoblast differentiation. Moreover, these surfaces may inhibit the growth of S. oralis by acting as a bacteriostatic agent over time. Although the piezoelectric properties do not affect the cellular inflammatory profile, they appear to enable the initial adhesion of bacteria, however this is not significant over the entire testing period. Furthermore, the addition of non-poled BaTiO3 to zirconia may have a potential reduction effect on IL-6 mediated-inflammatory activity in fibroblasts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Surfaces and Functions)
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17 pages, 9431 KiB  
Article
Functionalizing Diatomite-Based Micro-Arc Coatings for Orthopedic Implants: Influence of TiO2 Addition
by Alexander D. Kashin, Mariya B. Sedelnikova, Pavel V. Uvarkin, Anna V. Ugodchikova, Nikita A. Luginin, Yurii P. Sharkeev, Margarita A. Khimich and Olga V. Bakina
Biomimetics 2023, 8(3), 280; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8030280 - 29 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 853
Abstract
The method of micro-arc oxidation has been utilized to synthesize a protective biocompatible coating for a bioresorbable orthopedic Mg implant. This paper presents the results of comprehensive research of micro-arc coatings based on diatomite—a biogenic material consisting of shells of diatom microalgae. The [...] Read more.
The method of micro-arc oxidation has been utilized to synthesize a protective biocompatible coating for a bioresorbable orthopedic Mg implant. This paper presents the results of comprehensive research of micro-arc coatings based on diatomite—a biogenic material consisting of shells of diatom microalgae. The main focus of this study was the functionalization of diatomite-based micro-arc coatings by incorporating particles of titania (TiO2) into them. Various properties of the resulting coatings were examined and evaluated. XRD analysis revealed the formation of a new magnesium orthosilicate phase—forsterite (Mg2SiO4). It was established that the corrosion current density of the coatings decreased by 1–2 orders of magnitude after the inclusion of TiO2 particles, depending on the coating process voltage. The adhesion strength of the coatings increased following the particle incorporation. The processes of dissolution of both coated and uncoated samples in a sodium chloride solution were studied. The in vitro cell viability was assessed, which showed that the coatings significantly reduced the cytotoxicity of Mg samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Surfaces and Functions)
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Review

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48 pages, 10800 KiB  
Review
Biomimetic Flexible Sensors and Their Applications in Human Health Detection
by Huiwen Yu, Hao Li, Xidi Sun and Lijia Pan
Biomimetics 2023, 8(3), 293; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8030293 - 06 Jul 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2535
Abstract
Bionic flexible sensors are a new type of biosensor with high sensitivity, selectivity, stability, and reliability to achieve detection in complex natural and physiological environments. They provide efficient, energy-saving and convenient applications in medical monitoring and diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and detection and identification. [...] Read more.
Bionic flexible sensors are a new type of biosensor with high sensitivity, selectivity, stability, and reliability to achieve detection in complex natural and physiological environments. They provide efficient, energy-saving and convenient applications in medical monitoring and diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and detection and identification. Combining sensor devices with flexible substrates to imitate flexible structures in living organisms, thus enabling the detection of various physiological signals, has become a hot topic of interest. In the field of human health detection, the application of bionic flexible sensors is flourishing and will evolve into patient-centric diagnosis and treatment in the future of healthcare. In this review, we provide an up-to-date overview of bionic flexible devices for human health detection applications and a comprehensive summary of the research progress and potential of flexible sensors. First, we evaluate the working mechanisms of different classes of bionic flexible sensors, describing the selection and fabrication of bionic flexible materials and their excellent electrochemical properties; then, we introduce some interesting applications for monitoring physical, electrophysiological, chemical, and biological signals according to more segmented health fields (e.g., medical diagnosis, rehabilitation assistance, and sports monitoring). We conclude with a summary of the advantages of current results and the challenges and possible future developments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Surfaces and Functions)
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35 pages, 20386 KiB  
Review
Self-Healing Silicone Materials: Looking Back and Moving Forward
by Konstantin V. Deriabin, Sofia S. Filippova and Regina M. Islamova
Biomimetics 2023, 8(3), 286; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8030286 - 03 Jul 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2968
Abstract
This review is dedicated to self-healing silicone materials, which can partially or entirely restore their original characteristics after mechanical or electrical damage is caused to them, such as formed (micro)cracks, scratches, and cuts. The concept of self-healing materials originated from biomaterials (living tissues) [...] Read more.
This review is dedicated to self-healing silicone materials, which can partially or entirely restore their original characteristics after mechanical or electrical damage is caused to them, such as formed (micro)cracks, scratches, and cuts. The concept of self-healing materials originated from biomaterials (living tissues) capable of self-healing and regeneration of their functions (plants, human skin and bones, etc.). Silicones are ones of the most promising polymer matrixes to create self-healing materials. Self-healing silicones allow an increase of the service life and durability of materials and devices based on them. In this review, we provide a critical analysis of the current existing types of self-healing silicone materials and their functional properties, which can be used in biomedicine, optoelectronics, nanotechnology, additive manufacturing, soft robotics, skin-inspired electronics, protection of surfaces, etc. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Surfaces and Functions)
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26 pages, 6273 KiB  
Review
Electrospun Nanofiber-Based Bioinspired Artificial Skins for Healthcare Monitoring and Human-Machine Interaction
by Xingwei Chen, Han Li, Ziteng Xu, Lijun Lu, Zhifeng Pan and Yanchao Mao
Biomimetics 2023, 8(2), 223; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics8020223 - 26 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1992
Abstract
Artificial skin, also known as bioinspired electronic skin (e-skin), refers to intelligent wearable electronics that imitate the tactile sensory function of human skin and identify the detected changes in external information through different electrical signals. Flexible e-skin can achieve a wide range of [...] Read more.
Artificial skin, also known as bioinspired electronic skin (e-skin), refers to intelligent wearable electronics that imitate the tactile sensory function of human skin and identify the detected changes in external information through different electrical signals. Flexible e-skin can achieve a wide range of functions such as accurate detection and identification of pressure, strain, and temperature, which has greatly extended their application potential in the field of healthcare monitoring and human-machine interaction (HMI). During recent years, the exploration and development of the design, construction, and performance of artificial skin has received extensive attention from researchers. With the advantages of high permeability, great ratio surface of area, and easy functional modification, electrospun nanofibers are suitable for the construction of electronic skin and further demonstrate broad application prospects in the fields of medical monitoring and HMI. Therefore, the critical review is provided to comprehensively summarize the recent advances in substrate materials, optimized fabrication techniques, response mechanisms, and related applications of the flexible electrospun nanofiber-based bio-inspired artificial skin. Finally, some current challenges and future prospects are outlined and discussed, and we hope that this review will help researchers to better understand the whole field and take it to the next level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioinspired Surfaces and Functions)
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