Biomimetics was an area of focus during the 243rd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society convention in San Diego which started this Saturday and will run through this week ending on Thursday.

You probably haven’t heard of biomimetics because it’s considered an “emerging field” but the idea behind it is simple to the point of almost being old-fashioned: looking to Mother Nature for ideas about how to use and adapt biological structures in beneficial ways for medicine and industry.

One idea that has come out of the field and was presented during a symposium was a buoyant material modeled after the incredible feet of the water strider bug -or Jesus bugs as they are known for their ability to walk on water - and made from “aerogel.” “Aerogel”  is made of “nano-fibrils” from plant cellulose. 

Olli Ikkala, from the Helsinki University of Technology in Finland, presented their research during a dedicated symposium and noted “that cellulose is the most abundant polymer on Earth, a renewable and sustainable raw material that could be used in many new ways.” Cellulose is commonly used for paper and textiles but it’s strength and the use of a nanocellulose is what warranted more research.

At a biomimetics panel today Ikkala and his colleagues stressed the importance of non-oil derived materials that still provide the strength and possess the properties needed to make them practical, applicable, and above all renewable.

Like Geckskin, the flexibility and possibilities of “nanocellulose aerogels” are exciting the field with its potential applications.  Ikkala sees the material being used in the construction of “miniaturized military robots” and even for everyday household items like children’s toys.

"It can be of great potential value in helping the world shift to materials that do not require petroleum for manufacture," Ikkala explained. "The use of wood-based cellulose does not influence the food supply or prices, like corn or other crops. We are really delighted to see how cellulose is moving beyond traditional applications, such as paper and textiles, and finding new high-tech applications."

Ikkala and his team introduced  the “nanocellulose carrier,” or the buoyant but strong and light material mentioned at the beginning of the blog, before we got into the details of cellulose. The lead in to the abstract mentioned a boat made from a single pound of the material could carry about 1,000 pounds. So stick that bit of info in your boat and float it!