Book 279

Biomimetics

by Bharat Bhushan

Published 5 June 2012

This book presents an overview of the general field of biomimetics - lessons from nature. It presents various examples of biomimetics, including roughness-induced superomniphobic surfaces which provide functionality of commercial interest. The major focus in the book is on lotus effect, rose petal effect, shark skin effect, and gecko adhesion.  For each example, the book first presents characterization of an object to understand how a natural object provides functionality, followed by modeling and then fabrication of structures in the lab using nature’s route to verify one’s understanding of nature and provide guidance for development of optimum structures. Once it is understood how nature does it, examples of fabrication of optimum structures using smart materials and fabrication techniques, are presented. Examples of nature inspired objects are also presented throughout.


Book 299

This book presents an overview of arid desert conditions and natural mechanisms for water harvesting from fog and condensation, providing data on various bioinspired surfaces for water collection. It discusses consumer to military and emergency applications. It presents various designs for water harvesting towers and projections for water collection, and describes innovative approaches to bioinspired water desalination, water purification and oil-water separation.
Fresh water sustains human life and is vital for health. However, water scarcity affects more than 40% of the global population and is projected to rise, especially in some of the world's most impoverished countries. Additionally, water contamination is one of the most critical environmental and natural resource concerns of the 21st century. This book addresses these topics with a presentation of the development of sustainable and environmentally friendly bioinspired surfaces for water harvesting from fog and condensation, as well as bioinspired oil-water separation techniques for removing oil contaminants from oil-water mixtures and oil-water emulsions.
Intended for novices as well as experts in the field, the book offers actionable insight for practitioners, solution seekers, and the generally curious alike. It serves as an excellent accompanying text for one-semester courses in biomimetics, water supply and management, or environmental engineering.