Polymeric materials produced from fossil fuels have been intimately linked to the
development of industrial activities in the 20th century and, consequently, to the …

Chitin, and especially its deacetylated variant chitosan, has many applications, eg as carrier
material for pharmaceutical drugs or as a flocculant in wastewater treatment. Despite its …

Due to the increasing pressure brought by recent global environmental problems, building
designers are embracing regionalism and the knowledge of traditional structures, arguing …

The stress-shielding (SS) effects following orthopedic implantation can lead to implant
loosening. Functionally graded materials (FGMs) and coatings (FGCs) are special …

Functional gradient materials (FGMs), as a modern group of materials, can provide multiple
functions and are able to well mimic the hierarchical and gradient structure of natural …

Compared to wingless insects, pterygote insects profit from numerous wing‐related benefits
including a wider distribution range, the exploitation of various food resources and the …

Recently, multi-biofunctional properties of cicada wings have drawn keen interest for
biomedical device applications due to their superhydrophobic, self-cleaning and bactericidal …

Deployable structures capable of significant geometric reconfigurations are ubiquitous in
nature. While engineering contraptions typically comprise articulated rigid elements, soft …

Insect wings are living, flexible structures composed of tubular veins and thin wing
membrane. Wing veins can contain hemolymph (insect blood), tracheae, and nerves …

Resilin is an elastomeric protein typically occurring in exoskeletons of arthropods. It is
composed of randomly orientated coiled polypeptide chains that are covalently cross-linked …