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Bioinspired architectural design for composites with much higher fracture resistance than that of individual constituent remains a major challenge for engineers and scientists. Inspired by the survival war between the mantis shrimps and abalones, we design a discontinuous fibrous Bouligand (DFB) architecture, a combination of Bouligand and nacreous staggered structures. Systematic bending experiments for 3D-printed single-edge notched specimens with such architecture indicate that total energy dissipations are insensitive to initial crack orientations and show optimized values at critical pitch angles. Fracture mechanics analyses demonstrate that the hybrid toughening mechanisms of crack twisting and crack bridging mode arising from DFB architecture enable excellent fracture resistance with crack orientation insensitivity. The compromise in competition of energy dissipations between crack twisting and crack bridging is identified as the origin of maximum fracture energy at a critical pitch angle. We further illustrate that the optimized fracture energy can be achieved by tuning fracture energy of crack bridging, pitch angles, fiber lengths, and twist angles distribution in DFB composites.

The advancement of lightweight protective armors holds critical importance for enhancing the maneuverability and combat capabilities of helicopters. Leveraging insights from bionics, it provides a new idea for high-performance armor design. In this study, a new type of composite armor was designed by referring to the structural characteristics of hard phase-protection, soft phase-buffering of unitization armadillo shell. Through the numerical study, the anti-ballistic performance of armor with varying thickness ratios of the dense ceramic layer to the interpenetrating layer is obtained, and the influence of different structures of armor on the anti-ballistic performance is analyzed. The results show that compared with the traditional laminated composite armor, the Al 2 O 3 /Al biomimetic composite armor not only improves the separation phenomenon caused by wave impedance mismatch, but also greatly improves the speed drop in resisting high-speed and penetrating bullets. When the thickness ratio is 2:1, the armor has higher ballistic protection performance.

The biomimetic structures in nature, such as shells, turtles, and other scaly organisms, inspire the design of transparent protective composites for enhancing their anti-penetration performance. Here, we designed the borosilicate glass composites with nacreous and tortoiseshell structures and examined their mechanical properties and damage mechanisms under high-speed impact using ballistics experiments. The effects of arrangements and tablet size on the dynamic performance of borosilicate glass composites were also investigated. The results suggest that the biomimetic structure exhibits better impact performance than traditional composites with whole plate structure. Using the biomimetic structure, the average damage area is decreased by 57.6–66.5% and the average energy dissipation is increased around 5% for the transparent composites. Compared to the aligned arrangements, the staggered arrangement of tablets is more beneficial to the anti-penetration when the staggered point is positioned symmetrically. In addition, the tablet size also plays a significant role, where a small tablet can decrease the average damage area around 15.4–24.1% and increase the average energy dissipation up to 4.2%. Therefore, the tortoiseshell structure with the staggered arrangement of small tablets is an optimal combination of the design parameters, which exhibits the best ballistic performance among other configurations due to the substantial enhancement of the locking effect at the tablet interface. This study provides valuable insights into the impact performance and fracture mode of the biomimetic structural composites, especially for the transparent armors of glass materials.

Biomimetic design, derived from the study of biological systems, has emerged as a pivotal methodology in contemporary art and design. By systematically integrating the morphological traits, structural principles, and functional mechanisms of living organisms into design thinking, it provides both a novel theoretical perspective and methodological support for modern design practice. This design philosophy draws abundant inspiration from nature’s aesthetics and achieves a profound fusion of organic form and artistic expression. This study systematically traces the theoretical evolution of biomimetic design—from its early phase of direct form-mimicry to today’s holistic, systems-based approach—and clarifies its interdisciplinary logic and developmental trajectory. We examine its applications in public installations, product development, architecture, and fashion. Through a structured analysis of plant-inspired, animal-inspired, and ecosystem-inspired strategies—linked with the aesthetic demands and cultural contexts of design—this study uncovers the underlying mechanisms by which biological models drive innovation. The findings demonstrate that, by organically combining form simulation, function optimization, and ecological awareness, biomimetic design not only elevates the aesthetic value, visual impact, and emotional resonance of design works but also amplifies their social role and cultural significance. Moreover, its interdisciplinary potential in materials innovation, technological integration, and environmental sustainability highlights unique pathways for addressing complex contemporary challenges. This study adopts a methodology that blends case-study analysis and theoretical interpretation. Through an in-depth examination of exemplar projects, it validates that biomimetic design not only achieves a seamless unity of function and form but also offers a robust theoretical framework and practical strategies for sustainable design implementation. These insights advance both the theoretical depth and practical innovation of the design discipline.

Structure design provides an effective solution to develop advanced soft materials with desirable mechanical properties. However, creating multiscale structures in ionogels to obtain strong mechanical properties is challenging. Here, an in situ integration strategy for producing a multiscale‐structured ionogel (M‐gel) via ionothermal‐stimulated silk fiber splitting and moderate molecularization in the cellulose‐ions matrix is reported. The produced M‐gel shows a multiscale structural superiority comprised of microfibers, nanofibrils, and supramolecular networks. When this strategy is used to construct a hexactinellid inspired M‐gel, the resultant biomimetic M‐gel shows excellent mechanical properties including elastic modulus of 31.5 MPa, fracture strength of 6.52 MPa, toughness reaching 1540 kJ m−3, and instantaneous impact resistance of 3.07 kJ m−1, which are comparable to those of most previously reported polymeric gels and even hardwood. This strategy is generalizable to other biopolymers, offering a promising in situ design method for biological ionogels that can be expanded to more demanding load‐bearing materials requiring greater impact resistance. A high‐performance biomimetic ionogel is developed by in situ multiscale design of silk fiber in a cellulose‐ions matrix. The biomimetic ionogel shows high ionic conductivity of 49.6 mS cm−1 and ultra‐strong mechanical properties with a fracture strength of 6.5 MPa and impact resistance as high as 3.07 kJ m−1, holding great application potential in flexible bioelectronics and smart protective devices.

Bio-inspired designs have been serving as a great inspiration for Aerodynamists for the past several decades. The biological features of each species have evolved through generations that play a substantial role in their ultimate survival. Manmade technologies have significantly benefited from these evolutionary attributes by mimicking such optimal features through artificial means of engineering. Biologically mimicking a particular feature of a natural species for scientific applications has introduced an interdisciplinary field of study that is popularly termed as “Biomimetics”. Biomimetic solutions have gained greater scope because of their unique potential to address the existing design challenges. The present review article approaches the state-of-the-art biomimetic techniques in a qualitative as well as quantitative perspective by mainly focusing on the potential aerodynamic applications. Through a quantitative approach, emerging researchers can have a firm basis from a pool of existing techniques. Drag reduction, lift enhancement, and flow separation control are the major design optimization challenges existing in the field of aerodynamics. The Biomimetic techniques discussed herein are evaluated on such qualities through consecutively organized sections which are the key instruments for non-flapping applications. A critical review on the well-liked biomimetic techniques for flow control is addressed with their potential applications in relevance to the aerospace industry. Few patented techniques from allied fields like hydrodynamics are also discussed because of their conceptual effectiveness in aerodynamic applications. Furthermore, the flow control effectiveness of Humpback Whale (HW) inspired biomimetic leading edge tubercles is numerically investigated with straight and sweptback wing configurations. The results clearly indicate the potentials of biomimetic techniques to transform the future designs of aerodynamic surfaces.

Vapor chambers (VCs) are efficient heat spreaders that rely on wicks to realize the circulation of a phase-changing working liquid and can be used to address heat dissipation problems in electronic devices, aerospace, and satellite equipment. In this study, we propose a novel vapor chamber with biomimetic wick structures and composite lattice supports to enhance the thermal management and load-bearing performance of vapor chambers. The experiments and COMSOL multiphysics 6.1 simulation results indicate that the biomimetic design can improve the startup performance, thermal management, and load-bearing performance of the VC. Compared to conventional VCs, at a filling ratio of 20% the biomimetic VC reduces the time to reach a steady state by 11.7% and improves the uniformity of temperature by 7.74%. This study provides a novel design concept for VCs and verifies the operating performance of vapor in high heat flux density cases, providing a reference for the innovative design and enhanced heat transfer of phase change-based thermal management equipment.

Soft robots spark a revolution in human–machine interaction. However, developing high‐performance soft actuators remains challenging due to trade‐offs among output force, driving distance, control precision, safety, and compliance. Here, addressing the lack of long‐distance, high‐precision flexible linear actuators, an innovative pneumatic flexible linear actuator (PFLA) is introduced, inspired by the smooth and controlled process observed in snakes ingesting sizable food, such as eggs. This PFLA combines a soft tube, emulating the snake's body cavity, with a pneumatically driven piston. Through the joint modulation of moving resistance and driving force by pneumatic pressure, the PFLA exhibits exceptional motion control capabilities, including self‐holding without pressure supply, smooth low‐speed motion (down to 0.004 m s–1), high‐speed motion (up to 5.6 m s–1) with low air pressure demand, and a self‐protection mechanism. Highlighting its adaptability and versatility, the PFLA finds applications in various settings, including a wearable assistive devices, a manipulator capable of precise path tracking and positioning, and rapid transportation in diverse environments for pipeline inspection and firefighting. This PFLA combines biomimetic principles with sophisticated fluidic actuation to achieve long‐distance, flexible, precise, and safe actuation, offering a more adaptive solution for force/motion transmission, particularly in challenging environments. Soft robots revolutionize human–machine interaction, yet high‐performance actuators face challenges balancing force, distance, precision, and safety. This study introduces a pneumatic flexible linear actuator (PFLA) inspired by snake locomotion, achieving precise, low‐ and high‐speed movement with low pressure. It excels in wearable devices, precise manipulators, and pipeline inspection, combining biomimetic principles with fluidic actuation for flexible, precise, and safe operation.

Bio-inspired reversible adhesion has significant potential in many fields requiring flexible grasping and manipulation, such as precision manufacturing, flexible electronics, and intelligent robotics. Despite extensive efforts for adhesive synthesis with a high adhesion strength at the interface, an effective strategy to actively tune the adhesion capacity between a strong attachment and an easy detachment spanning a wide range of scales has been lagged. Herein, we report a novel soft-hard-soft sandwiched composite design to achieve a stable, repeatable, and reversible strong adhesion with an easily scalable performance for a large area ranging from ∼1.5 to 150 cm 2 and a high load ranging from ∼20 to 700 N. Theoretical studies indicate that this design can enhance the uniform loading for attachment by restraining the lateral shrinkage in the natural state, while facilitate a flexible peeling for detachment by causing stress concentration in the bending state, yielding an adhesion switching ratio of ∼54 and a switching time of less than ∼0.2 s. This design is further integrated into versatile grippers, climbing robots, and human climbing grippers, demonstrating its robust scalability for a reversible strong adhesion. This biomimetic design bridges microscopic interfacial interactions with macroscopic controllable applications, providing a universal and feasible paradigm for adhesion design and control.

Background Periodontitis often causes irrevocable destruction of tooth-supporting tissues and eventually leads to tooth loss. Currently, stem cell-based tissue engineering has achieved a favorable result in regenerating periodontal tissues. Moreover, cell-free therapies that aim to facilitate the recruitment of resident repair cell populations to injured sites by promoting cell mobilization and homing have become alternative options to cell therapy. Main text Cell aggregates (e.g., cell sheets) retain a large amount of extracellular matrix which can improve cell viability and survival rates after implantation in vivo. Electrostatic spinning and 3D bioprinting through fabricating specific alignments and interactions scaffold structures have made promising outcomes in the construction of a microenvironment conducive to periodontal regeneration. Cell-free therapies with adding biological agents (growth factors, exosomes and conditioned media) to promote endogenous regeneration have somewhat addressed the limitations of cell therapy. Conclusion Hence, this article reviews the progress of stem cell-based tissue engineering and advanced strategies for endogenous regeneration based on stem cell derivatives in periodontal regeneration.