Item Restricted to University of Alberta Users
Log In with CCID to View Item- 40 views
- No download information available
Biomimicry and Textiles: Inspiration from Nature
-
- Author(s) / Creator(s)
-
Humans have been creating textiles for over five thousand years, and these textiles are becoming increasingly technical. 1 However, we shouldn't forget the inspiration that comes from nature rather than modern day advances. The materials we see in nature have been developed naturally over billions of years, and often have highly specialized functions. Animals, plants, and insects show a wide range of fascinating properties, such as superhydrophobicity, self-healing, drag reduction, energy production, and storage, among many others. An area of research that has recently gained popularity-biomimicry-looks at the materials or textile inspiration we find in nature.
Biomimicry research can be utilized in a wide range of areas, from looking at how spiders spin their silk to develop stronger, lightweight textiles, to considering how shark skin reduces drag when moving through water. There is a wealth of information to be gleaned from studying nature, and the natural materials and structures that can be found in it.
The potential applications of current biomimicry research carry a lot of promise. Exploring the different areas of biological discovery are paving the way to advancements in material development.
-
- Date created
- 2019-02-01
-
- Subjects / Keywords
-
- Type of Item
- Article (Published)
-
- License
- Use of this product is restricted to current faculty, staff, and students of the University. It is the responsibility of each user to ensure that he or she uses this product for individual, non-commercial educational or research purposes only, and does not systematically download or retain substantial portions of information. Users may not reproduce or redistribute unprocessed/raw data portions of the data to any third party, or otherwise engage in the systematic retransmission or commercialization of the data.