Jan. 22 – Sometimes the secret to the most advanced and promising scientific discoveries is to be found in simple elements of nature. A lotus leaf, for example, has inspired the research of an international group of material engineers, who tried to artificially recreate one of the most striking features of this popular and useful aquatic plant. The lotus leaf, in fact, has a particular structure that makes it extremely hydrophobic (water repellent) and which keeps it constantly clean and protected. This quality is in great demand in the industrial field for the development of bio-inspired self-cleaning and anti-adhesiveness nanotechnologies. However, the lotus does not have a controllable water repellence, because it was not brought to evolve in this direction. The challenge is thus to create a material that may change behavior in an “intelligent” manner to be suitable for many different applications: the latest generation of flexible and transparent electronic systems and nano-medicine. The project was taken up by an international research team between the Duke University, MIT and the University of Trento, with Professor Nicola Pugno, a founder of the Bio-Inspired Laboratory of Nano-mechanics. “The artificial leaf we have created – explains Pugno, Professor of Structural Mechanics at the Department of Civil Environmental and Mechanical Engineering – is conductive and retains the possibility of extreme deformation without rupture. This is a key feature for the development of flexible electronic systems. In addition, the leaf has a controllable transparency characteristic, which is a reversible multifunctional aspect delivered thanks to the system’s robustness. In turn, it remains functional for many cycles. Applications can be manifold, also thanks to the macroscopic dimensions of the system. To give an idea of the potential of this discovery, it suffices to say that it has already been used to create artificial muscles.”
