News
New European Innovation Council project on ‘bio-inspired fiber-reinforced modular walls for construction’
We aim to develop Loam Walls with Algorithmically generated 3d Natural Fibre Reinforcement (AlgoLoam), as the first completely biodegradable, made of exclusively natural materials, self-supporting reinforced light loam wall solution, totally or partially prefabricated. AlgoLoam will be developed by an interdisciplinary team of architects, material scientists, textile technology experts, biomimetics…
New publication on ‘Functional fibrillar interfaces’ in Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology
Hair, or hair-like fibrillar structures, are ubiquitous in biology, from fur on the bodies of mammals, over trichomes of plants, to the mastigonemes on the flagella of single-celled organisms. While these long and slender protuberances are passive, they are multifunctional and help to mediate interactions with the environment. They provide…
New publication on ‘Capillary adhesion of stick insects’ in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Scientific progress within the last few decades has revealed the functional morphology of an insect's sticky footpads—a compliant pad that secretes thin liquid films. However, the physico-chemical mechanisms underlying their adhesion remain elusive. Here, we explore these underlying mechanisms by simultaneously measuring adhesive force and contact geometry of the adhesive…