Fast prototype and rapid construction of three-dimensional and multi-scaled pitcher for controlled drainage by systematic biomimicry

Biomimetic materials that use natural wisdom to solve practical problems are developing rapidly.The trend for systematic biomimicry is towards in-situ characterization of naturalcreatures with high spatial resolutions.Furthermore,rapid reconstruction of digital twin models with the same complex features as the prototype is indispensable.However,it faces bottlenecks and limits in fast characterization and fabrication,precise parameter optimization,geometricdeviations control,and quality prediction.To solve these challenges,here,we demonstrate astate-of-the-art method taking advantage of micro-computed tomography and three-dimensional printing for the fast characterization of the pitcher plant Nepenthes x ventrata and fabrication of its biomimetic model to obtain a superior drainage controller with multiscale structures withprecise surface morphology optimization and geometric deviation control.Thefilm-rupture-based drainage dynamic and mechanisms are characterized by x-ray and high-speed videography,which determines the crucial structures for unique directionaldrainage.Then the optimized artificial pitchers are further developed into sustained drainage devices with novel applications,such as detection,reaction,and smoke control.

Proposition and design of a new Micro-Architected Domes family:A biomimicry-based approach

In the last decade,micro-architected structures have gained significant attention in academia and industry for their lightweight,strong,and thermally efficient properties.Inspired by biomimicry design,this paper presents a novel ribbed family of additively manufactured Micro-Architected Domes(MAD).The design incorporates tetrapod pyramid unit cells,golden ratio-based fractal patterns,Schoen’s Minimal Gyroid,and spherical geometry.The study focuses on dome radius,height,and azimuth/elevation partitioning as input variables,with the main output being ribbed micro-cell diameter.The relationships between unit-cells’diameter and input variables were established through problem-solving and numerical computations:linear dependency with the dome radius and hyperbolic dependency with the azimuth and elevation partitioning.The proposed design successfully adhered to the Surface-to-Volume ratio of Schoen’s Minimal Gyroid,achieving an average volume relative density of 2.5%,confirming its lightweight nature.The feasibility of the design was further supported by fabricating three specimens using Filament Fused Fabrication.This research showcases the potential of biomimicry-inspired micro-architected structures,paving the way for innovative applications in various fields.

Advances in targeted nanotherapeutics： From bioconjugation to biomimicry

Since the emergence of cancer nanomedicine, researchers have had intense interest in developing nanoparticles （NPs） that can specifically target diseased sites while avoiding healthy tissue to mitigate the off-target effects seen with conventional treatments like chemotherapy. Initial endeavors focused on the bioconjugation of targeting agents to NPs, and more recently, researchers have begun to develop biomimetic NP platforms that can avoid immune recognition to maximally accumulate in tumors. In this review, we describe the advantages and limitations of each of these targeting strategies. First, we review developments in bioconjugation strategies, where NPs are coated with biomolecules such as antibodies, aptamers, peptides, and small molecules to enable cell-specific binding. While bioconjugated NPs offer many exciting features and have improved pharmacokinetics and biodistribution relative to unmodified NPs, they are still recognized by the body as ＂foreign＂, resulting in their clearance by the mononuclear phagocytic system （MPS）. To overcome this limitation, researchers have recently begun to investigate biomimetic approaches that can hide NPs from immune recognition and reduce clearance by the MPS. These biomimetic NPs fall into two distinct categories： synthetic NPs that present naturally occurring structures, and NPs that are completely disguised by natural structures. Overall bioconjugated and biomimetic NPs have substantial potential to improve upon conventional treatments by reducing off-target effects through site-specific delivery. and they show great promise for future standards of care. Here, we provide a summary of each strategy, discuss considerations for their design moving forward, and highlight their potential clinical impact on cancer therapy.

A new biomimicry marine current turbine: Study of hydrodynamic performance and wake using software OpenFOAM

Inspired by Dryobalanops aromatica seed, a new biomimicry marine current turbine is proposed. Hydrodynamic performance and wake properties are two key factors determining whether a new marine current turbine design is practical or not. Thus, a study of hydrodynamic performance and wake of the proposed biomimicry turbine is conducted. The computational fluid dynamics（CFD） software, Open FOAM is used to generate the required results for the mentioned study. The hydrodynamic performance and wake properties of the proposed biomimicry turbine is compared to two conventional turbines of Bahaj et al. and Pinon et al. respectively. The simulation results showed that the proposed biomimicry marine current turbine gives optimum power output with its power coefficient, 0.376 PC ≈ at the tip speed ratio（TSR） of 1.5. Under the same boundary conditions, the maximum torque produced by the proposed biomimicry turbine at zero rotational speed is 38.71 Nm which is 1110% greater than the torque generated by the turbine of Bahaj et al.. The recovery distance for the wake of the biomimicry turbine is predicted to be 10.6% shorter than that of IFREMER-LOMC turbine. The above-mentioned results confirm the potential application of the proposed biomimicry marine current turbine in the renewable energy industry.

Engineered biomimicry for harvesting solar energy:a bird’s eye view

All three methodologies of engineered biomimicry–bioinspiration,biomimetics,and bioreplication–are represented in current research on harvesting solar energy.Both processes and porous surfaces inspired by plants and certain marine animals,respectively,are being investigated for solar cells.Whereas dye-sensitized solar cells deploy artificial photosynthesis,bioinspired nanostructuring of materials in solar cells improves performance.Biomimetically textured coatings for solar cells have been shown to reduce optical reflectance and increase optical absorptance over a broad spectral regime.Compound lenses fabricated by a bioreplication technique offer similar promise for reduced reflectance by increasing the angular field of view.

Bio-Inspired of Pyramidical Concrete Barrier Walls against the Effects of Explosion Waves

Biomimicry is a technique that inspired solutions to engineering problems through the study of natural systems, designs and processes. Recently, the engineering Biomimicry technique has been used to inspire a protection system against the blast waves and that can mitigate, absorb, and reflect the blast waves. Hence, this work studies the effect of different geometrical configurations of concrete wall barriers inspired by nature against blast waves. The non-linear 3d numerical model is used to model the proposed configurations. The finite element modeling is validated with referenced experimental works. The response of the proposed structural configurations of the wall barrier is analyzed. The results showed that the new bio-inspired pyramidical structure configuration (PCBW) has a notable effect on the mitigation of blast hazards which gave the best performance for the protection of the area behind the wall barrier with 19.5% with respect to traditional concrete barrier wall (TCBW). Also, it is concluded that nature inspiration has a great effect on designing new protection systems against the effect of blast waves.

Reconfigurable memristor based on SrTiO_(3) thin-film for neuromorphic computing

Neuromorphic computing aims to achieve artificial intelligence by mimicking the mechanisms of biological neurons and synapses that make up the human brain.However,the possibility of using one reconfigurable memristor as both artificial neuron and synapse still requires intensive research in detail.In this work,Ag/SrTiO_(3)(STO)/Pt memristor with low operating voltage is manufactured and reconfigurable as both neuron and synapse for neuromorphic computing chip.By modulating the compliance current,two types of resistance switching,volatile and nonvolatile,can be obtained in amorphous STO thin film.This is attributed to the manipulation of the Ag conductive filament.Furthermore,through regulating electrical pulses and designing bionic circuits,the neuronal functions of leaky integrate and fire,as well as synaptic biomimicry with spike-timing-dependent plasticity and paired-pulse facilitation neural regulation,are successfully realized.This study shows that the reconfigurable devices based on STO thin film are promising for the application of neuromorphic computing systems.

Complementary Methods to Acquire the Kinematics of Swimming Snakes:A Basis to Design Bio-inspired Robots

The vast diversity of morphologies,body size,and lifestyles of snakes represents an important source of information that can be used to derive bio-inspired robots through a biology-push and pull process.An understanding of the detailed kinematics of swimming snakes is a fundamental prerequisite to conceive and design bio-inspired aquatic snake robots.However,only limited information is available on the kinematics of swimming snake.Fast and accurate methods are needed to fill this knowledge gap.In the present paper,three existing methods were compared to test their capacity to characterize the kinematics of swimming snakes.(1)Marker tracking(Deftac),(2)Markerless pose estimation(DeepLabCut),and(3)Motion capture were considered.(4)We also designed and tested an automatic video processing method.All methods provided different albeit complementary data sets;they also involved different technical issues in terms of experimental conditions,snake manipulation,or processing resources.Marker tracking provided accurate data that can be used to calibrate other methods.Motion capture posed technical difficulties but can provide limited 3D data.Markerless pose estimation required deep learning(thus time)but was efficient to extract the data under various experimental conditions.Finally,automatic video processing was particularly efficient to extract a wide range of data useful for both biology and robotics but required a specific experimental setting.

Design of biomimetic camouflage materials based on angiosperm leaf organs

The micro structures and reflectance spectra of angiosperm leaves were compared with those of angiosperm petals. The study indicated that angiosperm leaf organs had identical micro structures and reflectance characteristics in the wave band of near infrared. Micro structures and compositions of leaf organs were the crucial factors influencing their reflectance spectra. The model of biomimetic materials based on angiosperm leaf organs was introduced and verified. From 300 to 2600 nm, the similarity coefficients of reflectance spectra of the foam containing water and Platanus Orientalis Linn. leaves were all above 0.969. The biomimetic camou- flage material exhibited almost the same reflectance spectra with those of green leaves in ultraviolet, visible and near infrared wave bands. And its "concolor and conspectrum" effect might take on reconnaissance of hyperspectral and ultra hy- perspectral imaging.

Vascular-confined multi-passage discoidal nanoconstructs for the low-dose docetaxel inhibition of triple-negative breast cancer growth

Taxane efficacy in triple negative breast cancer(TNBC)is limited by insufficient tumor accumulation and severe off-target effects.Nanomedicines offer a unique opportunity to enhance the anti-cancer potency of this drug.Here,1,000 nm×400 nm discoidal polymeric nanoconstructs(DPN)encapsulating docetaxel(DTXL)and the near infrared compound Iipid-Cy5 were engineered.DPN were obtained by filling multiple times cylindrical wells in a poly(vinyl alcohol)template with a polymer mixture comprising poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)(PLGA)and poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate(PEG-DA)chains together with therapeutic and imaging agents.The resulting“multi-passage”DPN exhibited higher DTXL loading,Iipid-Cy5 stability,and stiffness as compared to the conventional"single-passage"approach.Confocal microscopy confirmed that DTXL-DPN were not taken up by MDA-MB-231 cells but would rather sit next to the cell membrane and slowly release DTXL thereof.Empty DPN had no toxicity on TNBC cells,whereas DTXL-DPN presented a cytotoxic potential comparable to free DTXL(IC_(50)=2.6 nM±1.0 nM vs.7.0 nM±1.09 nM at 72 h).In orthotopic murine models,DPN accumulated in TNBC more efficiently than free-DTXL.With only 2 mg/kg DTXL,intravenously administered every 2 days for a total of 13 treatments,DTXL-DPN induced tumor regression and were associated to an overall 80%survival rate as opposed to a 30%survival rate for free-DTXL,at 120 days.All untreated mice succumbed before 90 days.Collectively,this data demonstrates that vascular confined multi-passage DPN,biomimicking the behavior of circulating platelets,can efficiently deliver chemotherapeutic molecules to malignant tissues and effectively treat orthotopic TNBC at minimal taxane doses.

The challenge of biomimetic design for carbon-neutral buildings using termite engineering

The main aim of this paper is to present humanity and termites as design partners in the creation of a new dimension of ecosystem understanding. The paper by Turner and Soar, Beyond biomimicry： What termites can tell us about realizing the living building＂ （2008） opens up a new era in how we think of human habitations, not only on earth, but perhaps on other planets, and using the termite model as the comer stone of innovative engineering. We know that termites are masters of constructing ＇buildings＇ that meet all nutrition, energy, waste disposal needs, shelter, and food sources for many other animals and insects. We need to emulate the symbiotic abilities of termites to survive over time, for we all live on this symbiotic planet, and symbiosis is natural and common.

Laser Additive Manufacturing of Bio-inspired Metallic Structures

High-performance/multifunctional metallic components primarily determine the service performance of equip-ment applied in the aerospace,aviation,and automobile industries.Organisms have developed structures with specific properties over millions of years of natural evolution,thereby providing inspiration for the design of high-performance structures to satisfy the increasing demands of modern industries.From the perspective of manufacturing,the ability of conventional processing technologies is inadequate for fabricating these complex structural configurations.By contrast,laser additive manufacturing(AM)is an effective method for fabricating complex metallic bio-inspired structures owing to its layer-by-layer deposition advantage.Herein,recent devel-opments in the laser AM of bio-inspired cellular,plate,and truss structures,as well as the materials used in laser AM for bio-inspired printing are briefly reviewed.The organisms being imitated include butterfly,Norway spruce,mantis shrimp,beetle,and water spider,which expand the diversity of multifunctional structures for laser AM.The mechanical properties and functions of laser-AM-processed bio-inspired structures are discussed.Additionally,the challenges,possible outcomes,and directions of utilizing laser AM technology to fabricate high-performance/multifunctional metallic bio-inspired structures in the future are outlined.

Potential strategies offered by animals to implement in buildings' energy performance: Theory and practice

The strategies for thermal regulation and envir on mental control found in nature are countless. In this article, a parallelism between animals and building energy systems is defined in order to identJfy and emphasize the immediate opportunities that biomimicry offers for future research. The motivation was the need to find alternative solutions to tackle problems mainly in the efficiency of heating, ventilation and cooling systems. Due to the wide range of possibilities offered by animals, this study is largely limited to the strategies that cold-blooded animals have developed through evolutionary adaptation to the environment. The method used for the an a lysis is based on a soluti on-based approach. Firstly, differe nt animal thermoregulation strategies are defined (biological domain). Then the strategy is an a lyzed and classified into three categories. This classification is esse ntial in order to formulate the parallelism with building systems (transfer phase). The final step is to identify the potential implementation (technological domain).This approach has been seen to be useful in creating new research opportunities based on biomimicry. In addition, suitable solutions arising from multidisciplinary team research are presented as promising answers to the challenges that building energy systems face no wadays.

Origin of d-π Interaction in Cobalt（ll） Porphyrins under Synergistic Effects of Core Contraction and Axial Ligation： Implications for a Ligand Effect of Natural Distorted Tetrapyrrole

The reactivity of the metalloporphyrins was closely related to their ligand effect at axial position. The electronic properties of six model Co（II） porphyrins are investigated by spectral and electrochemical methods. Structural parameters of the COOI） complexes are directly obtained from their crystal structures. We demonstrate that the unpaired 3d electron of low-spin Co（II） ions in nonplanar Co（II） porphyrin complexes activated by core contraction of porphyrin macrocycles can be further activated by the axial ligation of imidazole. The activated electron can combine with a n orbital of the porphyrin ring to form a new d-π orbital, which can induce the Q-band of Co（II） porphyrins to visibly split. Addition of imidazole causes the Co（II）/Co（III） and Co（II）/Co（I） reactions to shift to more negative potential. Our results indicate that strong axial ligation and core contraction both play important roles in electron transfer in redox catalysis involving Co（II） complexes.

Bio-inspired interactive kinetic façade:Using dynamic transitory-sensitive area to improve multiple occupants’visual comfort

The architectural form of the façade determines its identity as well as interactions with micro-climate forces of the ambient environment,such as solar radiation.The dynamic nature of daylight and occupants’positions can cause some issues such as heat gains and visual discomfort,which need to be controlled in real-time operation.Improving daylight performance and preventing visual discomfort for multiple occupants simultaneously is challenging.However,integrating the biomimicry principles of morphological adaptation with dynamic,complex fenestration,and human-in-loop systems can lead us to find an optimal solution.This research builds on relevant literature study,biomimicry morphological approaches,and parametric simulations,to develop a bio-inspired interactive kinetic façade for improving multiple occupants’visual comfort simultaneously,inspired by plant’s stomata movement and behavior principles.Learning from the transitory stage and hunting new position of stomata’s patchy patterns,leads us to identify the dynamic transitory-sensitive area of attraction point on the façade that is triggered by the dynamic sun-timing position and multiple occupants.The annual climate-based metrics and luminance-based metric simulation results of 810 bioinspired interactive kinetic façade alternatives prove that the elastic-deformable-complexkinetic form triggered by the dynamic transitory-sensitive area can improve the visual comfort of multiple occupants simultaneously.In particular,the bio-inspired interactive kinetic façade with grid division 8x1 displays extraordinary daylight performance for south direction that prevents visual discomfort by keeping cases in the imperceptible range while providing an adequate average Spatial Daylight Autonomy of 60.5%,Useful Daylight illuminance of 90.47%,and Exceed Useful Daylight illuminance of 2.94%.