CHICAGO, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Studying the physical and chemical properties of insect wings, a multidisciplinary group has demonstrated the ability to reproduce the nanostructures that help cicada wings repel water and prevent bacteria from establishing on the surface, according to a news release posted on the website of the University of Illinois (UI) on Thursday.

The team used a simplified version of a fabrication process, called nanoimprinting lithography, to make a template of the complex pillar-shaped nanostructures on the wings of Neotibicen pruinosus, an annual cicada found in the central region of the United States.

In the lab, the team applies a quick-drying nail polish directly to a cicada wing, which is then left to cure at room temperature. Once completed, the template can be coated with a polymer or metal and then dissolved away, leaving only the replica metal or polymer.

The templates are fully dissolvable and produce replicas that average 94.4 percent of the pillar height and 106 percent of the original wing, or master structure's pillar diameter, the researchers said.

To show the versatility of the new method, the team experimented with two very different replica materials: copper metal and a flexible silicon-based organic polymer called PDMS.

"Copper is particularly interesting to us because of its inherent antimicrobial properties, and our past work indicates that some cicada species display antimicrobial properties on their wings," said Marianne Alleyne, an entomology professor at UI.

"We don't know if it is the chemicals on the wing's surface or the physical nanostructures, or a combination of both chemistry and topography, that produce the bactericidal activity, but being able to produce materials with different chemistries and structures will help us answer that fundamental question. This new, relatively simple fabrication method will ultimately help us design multifunctional engineered materials." she said.

The results of the study have been published in the journal Nano Letters. Enditem

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