Biometamaterials: Inspiration from the surface of leaves (Tokyo Institute of Technology)

(Source: Tokyo Institute of Technology) Researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology successfully fabricate a metamaterial using a lotus leaf as a template. Metamaterials are man-made substances whose properties are determined by their meticulously-designed structure. For example, metamaterials can be fabricated so that they interact with light or sound in a specific way. Unique surface structures play a vital role in metamaterials, and scientists have begun looking to nature itself for patterned surfaces from which to draw inspiration. Now, Kotaro Kajikawa and Yuusuke Ebihara at Tokyo Institute of Technology, together with Masayuki Shimojo at the Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan,...