Biomimicry

Murphy WL, Mooney DJ (2002) Molecular-scale biomimicry. Nat Biotechnol 20 30-31... 

New natural polymers based on synthesis from renewable resources, improved recyclability based on retrosynthesis to reusable precursors, and molecular suicide switches to initiate biodegradation on demand are the exciting areas in polymer science. In the area of biomolecular materials, new materials for implants with improved durability and biocompatibility, light-harvesting materials based on biomimicry of photosynthetic systems, and biosensors for analysis and artificial enzymes for bioremediation will present the breakthrough opportunities. Finally, in the field of electronics and photonics, the new challenges are molecular switches, transistors, and other electronic components molecular photoad-dressable memory devices and ferroelectrics and ferromagnets based on nonmetals. 

R. Esfand and D. A. Tomalia, Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers From biomimicry to drug delivery and biomedical applications, Drug Discov. Today, 6 (2001) 427 136. 

Biomimetics, coordination compound applications, 7 600-601 Biomimetic sensors, 3 809-810 Biomimetic synthesis, 13 552 Biomimicry, 24 33... 

Alternatives to biomimicry include materials based approaches as shown in Fig. 4.25. Mallouk has used commercial solar cell technology in which a dye is... 

Biomimicry has a rich body of literature, written by experts on every topic imaginable. Much of this information can be found online. Don t hesitate to make contact with experts collaboration with professionals from different fields can yield inspiring solutions. 

If you can t find a solution to your problem in an existing knowledge base, you ll need to take a field trip (or several). Here s where someone experienced in biomimicry can point you in the right direction. At the very least, you ll need to identify an organism, ecosystem, or process that has solved a problem similar to yours, and then go where you can study the solution in its natural environment. Remember that solution ideas might be found in non-obvious environments. For example, if you need a way to dry out humid air, you can look in the tropics, or you can go to the desert where cockroaches drink water from the air. 

Here are a few of the best web sites for biomimicry examples, case studies, resources, and expert help ... 

Solving Class 4 problems is what you do when you don t know what you re doing—basic research, where discoveries are made but the path to commercialization is unclear. As such they fall outside the scope of this book—although techniques like Biomimicry (Technique 26), Trend Prediction (Technique 14), Provocation and Movement (Technique 22) and Design of Experiments (Technique 50) can help the Class 4 problem solver. 

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