Functional Surfaces in Biology

Being interfaces between living organisms and an environment, biological surfaces serve variety of functions. Because of the structural and chemical complexity of biological surfaces, exact working mechanisms have been clarified only for several systems. However, biological surfaces hide virtually endless potential of technological ideas for development of new materials and systems. Because of the diversity of functions of biological surfaces, inspirations from biology may be also interesting for a broad range of topics in engineering. Since all biological surfaces are polyfunctional, it makes them even more interesting from the point of view of biomimetics. This book, having no analogy on the market, is devoted to the rapidly growing area of science dealing with structure and properties of biological surfaces in their relation to particular function(s). The issue, written by a team of specialists from different disciplines, covers various functions, such as protection, water retention, adhesion, anti-adhesion, friction reduction, light reflection and scattering, self cleaning etc. Some structural and experimental methods to clarify functional, behavioural, ecological, and evolutionary questions related to biological surfaces are demonstrated.In short: New subject not covered in other books to this extent. Interdisciplinarity. Potentially interesting to biologists, physicists, engineers. Richly illustrated.

Volume 1Functional Surfaces in Biology: Little Structures with Big Effects. This book is devoted to the rapidly growing area of science dealing with structure and properties of biological surfaces in their relation to particular function(s). The issue, written by a team of specialists from different disciplines, covers various surface functions, such as protection, defence, water transport, anti-wetting, self cleaning, light reflection and scattering, and acoustics. Because biological surfaces hide virtually endless potential of technological ideas fordevelopment of new materials and systems, inspirations from biology may be also interesting for a broad range of topics in surface engineering.

Volume 2 Functional Surfaces in Biology: Adhesion Related Phenomena. This book describes structure and properties of biological surfaces with particular adhesive properties. The issue, written by a team of specialists from different disciplines, covers two main types of systems: those specialised in adhesion enhancement or in adhesion reduction. Information on adhesive organs of insects, geckos, barnacles, and fish is given in the first part of the book. The second part considers plant surfaces specialised in the adhesion reduction. Because of the diversity of functions of adhesion-related biological surfaces, inspirations from biology may be also interesting for a broad range of topics in engineering.

Stanislav Gorb is a group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research in Stuttgart, Germany. He received his PhD degree in zoology and entomology at the Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kiev. Gorb was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vienna, a research assistant at University of Jena, a group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, and a visiting professor at both the University of Washington and Nanjing University of Astronautics and Aeronautics in China. Gorb’s research focuses on morphology, structure, biomechanics, physiology, and evolution of surface-related functional systems in animals and plants, as well as the development of biologically inspired technological surfaces and systems. He received the Schlossmann Award in Biology and Materials Science in 1995 and was the 1998 BioFuture Competition winner for his works on biological attachment devices as possible sources for biomimetics. Gorb has authored three books, including Attachment Devices of Insect Cuticle and Biological Micro- and Nanotribology; more than 100 papers in peer reviewed journals; and three patents. Gorb can be reached at the Evolutionary Biomaterials Group, Department of Thin Films and Biological Systems, Max Planck Institute for Metals Research, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany; e-mail s.gorb@mf.mpg.de.