Nature Loves Efficiency-- Part 2

(First Installment)

In my second installment,I will start by discussing a very well known example of biomimicry that utilized both current technology-- hook and loop fasteners-- and inspiration from biological features in nature-- the burrs of a burdock plant. Then, I will discuss with you some biomimetic implementations that can be used to help create green energies and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Additionally I would like to contemplate how we, as individuals, can encourage the creation and implementation of both natural and thoughtful designs.

Divine inspiration refers to a supernatural force that causes a person to experience a creative desire. Since the beginning of time nature has been the perfect supernatural force to instill divine inspiration in man. An amazingly simple and most widely known example of biomimicry is velcro. In his article, 8 Amazing Examples of Biomimicry, Shea Gunther says, “You may have worn shoes with velcro straps as a youngster and you can certainly look forward to wearing the same kind of shoes in retirement.”If you're going to start and end your life wearing velcro shoes, the least you can do is thank your mother, Mother Nature that is.

Velcro was invented by Swiss engineer George de Mestral in 1941 after he removed burrs from his dog and decided to take a closer look at how they worked. In an article about the inception of velcro, Daven Hiskey talks about the ingenuity of Mestral’s alternative to the zipper. He says, “Hook and loop fasteners have been common for hundreds of years, but up this point no one had ever made a hook and loop fastener on the tiny scale of these burdock plant burrs.  Not to be deterred by the difficulty in making hooks that small, de Mestral then set about trying to replicate these hooks to try to make a material that could easily “stick” and be removed, principally initially having in mind creating a “zipperless zipper”.”

Another rather interesting (potential) implementation of biomimicry is inspired by the anti-reflective qualities exhibited by cicada’s wings. Why cicada wings? The surfaces of the insect's wings are composed of highly ordered, tiny vertical "nano-nipple" arrays, according to the researchers. (They kind of look like the bristles of a hair brush-- according to me) As they reported in Applied Physics Letters, from AIP Publishing, the resulting biomorphic TiO2 surface they created with the synthetic antireflective structures shows a significant decrease in reflectivity while showing an increase in photon collection. In addition to their high-performance optical properties, certain cicada wings also exhibit superhydrophobicity, low adhesion, and self-cleaning properties. Thus, surfaces with the nano antireflective surfaces could be used as an absorber component for the practical application of the collection process in photovoltaic devices such as solar cells.
The team, made up of researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, intends to use the synthetically produced wings as a replacement for the glass currently used on photovoltaic solar cells. They believe that this technology could significantly increase the efficiency of the collection process in solar cells to possibly produce higher outputs of power. The team of researchers have used the shape of cicada wings as a template to create antireflective structures fabricated with one of the most intriguing semiconductor materials, titanium dioxide (TiO2). The antireflective structures they produced are capable of suppressing visible light -- 450 to 750 nanometers -- at different angles of incidence. The nano-nipple array acts as a glove and traps significantly more photons than traditional glass.
Most solar panels today are heavily dependent on proper orientation and are less than 20% efficient. Efficiency of traditional panels is measured by the amount of sunlight hitting the panel, which is influenced by several factors such as tilt, temperature, and shading. If we were able to utilize the hairbrush bristle structure on cicada wings and integrate them into our photovoltaic solar cells, we could potentially solve some of the issues associated with traditional photovoltaic panels. The synthetic cicada wing templates would be much more efficient in the collection process, due to the nano nipple array catching more photons, so the orientation-- specifically the tilt-- wouldn't be as influential on the absorption of light energy.

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(Reflective Qualities- a,c light absorption on a reflective surface; b,d light absorption on a nonreflective surface)

Another example of biomimetic implementation comes from engineers at Nissan. They have developed a new type of car based on the formation and patterns typically used by a school of fish. A school of fish is able to swim at relatively high speeds without colliding into one another. By studying and mimicking the habits of individual fish from a school, the engineers found three behaviors specific to each member of the school: avoiding collisions, maintaining a relative distance to flanking neighbors, and closing any gaps to distant fish. By using these behaviors, fish of a school are able to cooperate and  enhance their means of transport. The fish inspired Nissan engineers to provide the ability of a group of vehicles to carefully travel together, by avoiding both accidents and delays.

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Biomimicry can even offer us insight for developing green energy from, quite literally, one of the greenest processes in nature-- photosynthesis in leaves. Dr. Daniel Nocera from MIT thinks we can unlock the natural and efficient mechanisms in leaves to create usable energy. Leaves are able to turn renewable resources, water and sunlight, into energy a plant can use. Nocera and his team have developed a practical “artificial leaf,” in order to tap into the energy potential of photosynthesis in plants. Of course this synthetic leaf doesn’t perfectly mimic photosynthesis because it requires the addition of iron and nickel. The metals act as catalysts in the artificial leaf. Clearly we have a lot more research ahead of us, but with such elegant and inspiring solutions right outside the window it seems more possible than ever.

Even with nature’s divine inspiration, it can be daunting to transform a bio-inspired design into biomimicry. People have always been intertwined with nature, but in the last few decades we have distanced ourselves from nature, only to be reminded, time after time, of our deep dependence on its resources. In order to reconnect, we must explore and intensify our relationship with nature. This means we need to spend more time learning about local and global ecosystems, to motivate positive contributions, and respect to the balance of the organisms around us. Nature is always deliberate and effective and by emulating these useful processes we can help humans live sustainably.

Works Cited

1. "Biomimicry Global Design Challenge." Biomimicry Global Design Challenge. Biomimicry Institute, n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.
2. Gunther, Shea. "8 Amazing Examples of Biomimicry." MNN - Mother Nature Network. N.p., 07 Oct. 2016. Web. Dec. 2016.
3. Hiskey, Daven. "Velcro Was Modeled After Burrs of the Burdock Plant That Stuck to Velcro's Inventor's Pants After a Hunting Trip." Today I Found Out. N.p., 28 Nov. 2012. Web. Dec. 2016.
4. Jones, Van. "The Economic Injustice of Plastics." TedXGreatPacificGarbagePatch. Nov. 2010. Ted. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.
5. Pawlyn, Michael. Using Nature's Genius in Architecture. TedSalon London. Nov. 2010. Web. Oct. 2016.
6. Mckeag, Tom. "The Year in Biomimicry: Fins For Humans, The Aquapenguin and Robots With Whiskers." GreenBiz. N.p., 13 Jan. 2010. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.
7. Walker, Matt. "Penguins Take to the Air." BBC UK. BBC, 13 July 2011. Web. Oct. 2016.
8. Vanderbilt, Tom. "How Biomimicry Is Inspiring Human Innovation." Smithsonian Magazine.
9. Smithsonian, Sept. 2012. Web. Oct. 2016.

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