Paper, Re-designing materials for biomedical applications: from biomimicry to nature-inspired chemical engineering

Gathering inspiration from nature for the design of new materials, products and processes is a topic gaining rapid interest among scientists and engineers. In this review, we introduce the concept of nature-inspired chemical engineering (NICE). We critically examine how this approach offers advantages over straightforward biomimicry and distinguishes itself from bio-integrated design, as a systematic methodology to present innovative solutions to challenging problems. The scope of application of the nature-inspired approach is demonstrated via examples from the field of biomedicine, where much of the inspiration is still more narrowly focused on imitation or bio-integration. We conclude with an outlook on prospective future applications, offered by the more systematic and mechanistically based NICE approach, complemented by rapid progress in manufacturing, computation and robotics. Nature is replete with examples of processes that, through evolution, have been perfected over the ages, to effectively use energy, matter and space, and to sustain life. These processes have proven resilient to time-tested environmental changes, and thus are able to recover and rebuild when disturbed or damaged. An extraordinary feature of natural processes is their ability to transcend barriers of scalability, while maintaining efficiency [1]. Together with other desirable traits, such as robustness, dynamic self-organization and self-healing ability, these systems embody ideal characteristics that man-made formations strive for, yet often fail to achieve.

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