Natural materials, including insect wing surfaces, feature a variety of structural micro/nano-features responsible for unique functions, such as superhydrophobicity and antibacterial properties. To discern the roles of surface feature architecture and chemical composition on surface functionality, we study the wings of various species of cicadas, dragonflies, and flies. We characterize the correlations between the molecular composition of surface features and layers, the morphology of the different structures on the wings, and the functionality of the wings in an effort to rationally design novel engineered materials.
Biofouling is a prevalent and unwanted phenomenon in medical and industrial settings. Insects provide us with inspiration for creating surfaces that can deter bacterial contamination. Cicada wings possess many nano protrusions which are called nanopillars. They can puncture bacterial cell walls, conferring exceptional anti-bacterial properties. To transfer these surface features onto engineering materials, we use a high-fidelity, flexible, and versatile nanoscale replication method (DT-NIL: dissolvable template nanoimprint lithography) to replicate cicada wings. We successfully created templates using metals (copper, titanium, etc.) and polymers (PDMS, etc.). These engineered templates have a wide range of use in our everyday lives and can be actively applied to medical devices and HAVC system filters, greatly improving human life qualities. Our study opens the study to the guided design of insect-inspired materials with highly desired functionalities such as bactericidal surfaces.
Project Lead
Yutao Chen
Collaborators
- Dr. Donald M. Cropek – Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Champaign, IL
- Dr. Nenad Miljkovic – MechSE – the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Publications
- Particulate-Droplet Coalescence and Self-Transport on Superhydrophobic Surfaces. 2022. Xia Yan, Bingqiang Ji, Lezhou Feng, Xiong Wang, Daolong Yang, Kazi Fazle Rabbi, Qi Peng, Muhammad Jahidul Hoque, Puhang Jin, Elizabeth Bello, Soumyadip Sett, Marianne Alleyne, Donald M. Cropek, and Nenad Miljkovic. ACS Nano. V16, 12910-12921. DOI:10.1021/acsnano.2c05267
- Dissolvable Template Nanoimprint Lithography: A Facile and Versatile Nanoscale Replication Technique. 2020. Junho Oh, Jacob B. Hoffman, Sungmin Hong, Kyoo D. Jo, Jessica K. Román-Kustas, Julian H. Reed, Catherine E. Dana, Donald M. Cropek*, Marianne Alleyne*, Nenad Miljkovic*. Nano Letters, 20(10), 6989-6997. Publication Date August 13, 2020. DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c01547
- Analysis of Cicada Wing Surface Constituents by Comprehensive Multidimensional Gas Chromatography for Species Differentiation. 2020. Jessica Roman-Kustas, Jacob B. Hoffman, David Alonso, Julian H. Reed, Andrew E. Gonsalves, Junho Oh, Sungmin Hong, Kyoo D. Jo, Catherine E. Dana, Marianne Alleyne*, Nenad Miljkovic*, Donald M. Cropek*. Microchemical Journal, Publication Date May 26th, 2020.
- Molecular and Topographical Organization: Influence on Cicada Wing Wettability and Bactericidal Properties. Jessica K. Román, Julian H. Reed, Jacob B. Hoffman, Andrew E. Gonsalves, Junho Oh, Longnan Li, Sungmin Hong, Kyoo D. Jo, Catherine E. Dana, Nenad Miljkovic*, Donald M. Cropek* and Marianne Alleyne*. Advanced Materials Interfaces. Publication Date April 1, 2020. DOI: 10.1002/admi.202000112
- Cicada-inspired Self-cleaning Superhydrophobic Surfaces. Junho Oh, Sabrina Yin, Catherine E. Dana, Sungmin Hong, Jessica K. Román, Kyoo Dong Jo, Shreyas Chavan, Donald M. Cropek*, Marianne Alleyne*, Nenad Miljkovic*. ASME. Journal of Heat Transfer. October 2019; 141(10): 100905. DOI: 10.1115/1.4044677
- Ultra-scalable Multifunctional Nanoengineered Copper and Aluminum for Anti-Biofouling Applications. Julian H. Reed, Andrew E. Gonsalves, Jessica K. Román, Junho Oh, Hyeongyun Cha, Catherine E. Dana, Marco A. Toc, Sungmin Hong, Jacob B. Hoffman, Juan E. Andrade, Kyoo D. Jo, Marianne Alleyne*, Nenad Miljkovic*, Donald M. Cropek*. ACS Applied Bio Materials. Publication Date May 31, 2019. DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.8b00765.
- Exploring the Role of Habitat on the Wettability of Cicada Wings Junho Oh, Catherine E. Dana, Sungmin Hong, Jessica K. Román, Kyoo D. Jo, J. W. Hong, J. Nguyen, Donald M. Cropek*, Marianne Alleyne*, and Nenad Miljkovic*. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces V9(32), 2017, pp. 27173-27184. DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b07060
- Spatially Resolved Chemical Analysis of Cicada Wings Using Laser-Ablation Electrospray Ionization (LAESI) Imaging Mass Spectrometry (IMS). Jessica K. Román, Callie M. Walsh, Junho Oh, Catherine E. Dana, Sungmin Hong, Kyoo D. Jo, Marianne Alleyne*, Nenad Miljkovic*, Donald M. Cropek*. Analytical & Bioanalytical Chemistry V410(7), 2018, pp. 1911-1921. DOI: 10.1007/s00216-018-0855-7