Natural nanomaterials have remarkable properties which can be

appreciated at the macroscale because of their inherent nanostructure

The nanostructure of a biological material is due to its

supramolecular organisation

 Can we find examples of nanoscale science in nature?

 Have scientists and engineers used these examples to make
products that are currently available?

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Scientists and engineers use nature for guidance
and inspiration all the time.
This process is called Biomimicry

“The examination of nature, its models, systems,

processes, and elements to emulate or take
inspiration from in order to solve human
problems”

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 Examples of Natural Nano Materials
Nanoparticles from natural erosion and volcanic activity - minerals,
such as clays, are nanostructured

Mineralized natural materials, such as shells, corals and bones materials like
skin, claws, beaks, feathers, horns, hair: these materials are made largely of
very flexible proteins like keratin, elastin and collagen.

Paper and cotton: both are made mainly of cellulose. The high strength,
durability and absorbency of cotton are due to the nanoscale arrangement of
the fibres.

Insect wings

Spider silk: silk is the material with the greatest known strength

Lotus leaves and similar (nasturtium)

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 Natural nanomaterials are of interest not only to understand
(and appreciate) the amazing properties of biological materials
but also to gather inspiration for the design and engineering
of new materials with advanced properties.

These materials can provide a model for designing radically

improved artificial materials for many applications, such as
solar cells, fuel cells, textiles, drug delivery systems, etc.

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 So, Why Don’t Water Striders Get Wet?
Water striders are able to “walk on water” for a
number of reasons. Striders are assisted by five things:
•surface area
•gravitational forces
•surface forces (van der Waals force)
•a waxy (hydrophobic) surface on their legs

And most important

-
•The microhairs on their feet are
‘nano-groovy’ ! Microhairs

Nanogrooves on
microhairs

http://whyfiles.org/shorties/walk_on_water.html
 Nano-groovy Hair
a. The
illustration: a. A
Water striders have remarkable non- dimple of water
in which a
wetting legs that enable them to stand spider foot
and move quickly on water! Each leg is stands.
covered with large numbers of angled
tiny hairs (microsetae) with tiny b.Scanning
nanogrooves. Air is trapped in spaces electron
microscope
in the microsetae and nanogrooves to image (at 20µm)
form a cushion where the leg touches of a leg showing
numerous
the water. This prevents the leg from spindly
getting wet. microsetae.

This arrangement allows water c.Nanoscale

striders to survive on water even if grooved
structures on a
they are being bombarded by seta (at 200nm
raindrops. When it rains the strider scale on an
SEM).
bounces to avoid being drowned.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v432/n7013/full/432036a.html;jsessionid=E 57FEDC4E4B26CDD00E3822BFEA963D7
Sticky Spider Toes
These are the single
hairs (setae) that make Water strider toes
up the tuft of hair on help keep it dry,
the bottom of a jumping but this spider’s
spider’s foot.
toes help make him
The oval represents sticky!
the approximate size
of the foot magnified
to 270x.

This picture, magnified

8750x, shows the very
dense nanosized setules
on the underside of just
one of those many seta
(hairs) shown in the
picture above.
http://www.primidi.com/2004/04/26.html
 Gecko’s Sticky Feet
 Why Gecko’s are such good climbers?
◦ They have thousands of Nano-size
hairs that help them stick to smooth
surfaces using Van der Waals forces.
◦ Scientists are using biomimicry to create
“Gecko Tape” that will be stronger than
tape we use now.

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How sticky?
•500,000 hairs per toe

•Hundreds of nanoprojections (spatulae)

per hair

•Adhesive force in one foot = 100 newtons

•One ten-cent coin-sized spot could

lift a child weighing 45 pounds.

If their feet are that sticky, how do they pick up their feet?

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/critter/gecko.html
http://www.cbid.gatech.edu/resources.htm
How Can a Gecko Lift Its Foot Off of a Surface?

These lizards uncurl their toes like a paper party favor

whistle when putting their feet down and peel the toes back
up as if removing a piece of tape when they step away.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/critter/gecko1.html
 As Strong as… Silk?

• The nanometer-sized biodegradable threads of spider

silk are stronger, by weight, than high-tensile steel.
• It is also elastic enough to stretch up to 10 times its
initial length.
 Nasturtium Leaf
 Certain leaves have a particular surface structure
that makes them difficult to get wet. Water beads up
into little droplets due to nano-size ridges and wax
coated hairs. This phenomena is called the lotus
effect.

◦ Engineers are making clothing with nano

coating to protect from stains.
 Shark Skin
 How sharks swim so fast?
The various size/shapes and texture of shark skin at the micro and
nano levels reduce drag and make sharks very fast in the water.

◦ This idea has been used to create reduced drag suits for athletes.
 Toucan Beaks
 Toucans have very large beaks for the size of their bodies.
The structure at the nano level makes Toucan Beaks
incredibly light and strong.

◦ Engineers and scientists are developing similar structures

to make stronger, lighter materials.

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Toucan Beaks - Strong and Light
•
The exterior of the toucan beak
is made up of overlapping
nanosized tiles of keratin, the
same protein that makes up hair,
fingernails and horn

Keratin tiles glued together

The interior of the beak is a

rigid foam made of a network
of nanosized bony fibers
connected by membranes.
This allows the beak to absorb
high-energy impacts.

Foam-like interior made of bony

http://www.nuthatch.birdnature.com/jan1897/touc an.html
fiber and drum-like membranes
http://search.eurekalert.org/e3/query.html?qt=toucan&col=ev3r el&qc=ev3rel
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/83/i50/8350toucan.html
 Get Ready to Drink!
• Imagine you’re a very thirsty tiny beetle in a
desert. How can you get a drink?

• The Namib desert beetle in the deserts of

southwest Africa has a novel idea.

• First it must collect drinking water using its wings,

which are waxed and covered with raised unwaxed
nanobumps. The bumps attract
water (hydrophilic). When enough water collects it
rolls down the waxy areas, which repel water
(hydrophobic), into the beetle’s mouth.

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn1508

http://biomechanics.bio.uci.edu/_html/nh_biomech/namib/beetle.htm
A closeup of the nanobumps on a beetle’s back.
 But How Does the Water Get to Its Mouth?
• Six times a year when the fog blows in from the Atlantic the Namib beetle turns a
45 degree angle to the wind so that the droplets of water from the fog stick to the
unwaxed bumps on its back. This water builds up before rolling down the water-
repelling waxed troughs on the beetle's back and into its mouth.
Nanoscience is Everywhere in Nature

• Living cells have been using their own nanoscale devices to create
structures one atom or molecule at a time for millions of years.

• To be specific, DNA is copied, proteins are formed, and complex

hormones are manufactured by cellular devices far more complex
than the most advanced manufacturing processes we have today.

http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2001/09/10/focus2.html?page=3
Mankind has always found inspiration in Mother
Nature. Today developing technologies allow us to
probe and better understand the nanoscience of
Mother Nature.