Fabrication of low frictional surfaces mimicking firebrat scale by self-organization process

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26712028
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Insect science
• Research Institution: Chitose Institute of Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Hirai Yuji 千歳科学技術大学, 理工学部, 講師 (30598272)
• Research Collaborator: SHIMOMURA Masatsugu ; OKUDA Naoto ; UEMURA Shun ; MOMOSE Ai
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 昆虫ミメティクス / 摩擦 / 自己組織化 / 鱗粉

Outline of Final Research Achievements

It is well known living organisms have functional surfaces, which are adapted for their living environments. Recent years, biomimetics attract much attention because of their possibility for creating novel functional materials. In this research, we focused on firebrat because firebrat lives in narrow spaces and their surfaces are frequently contacted to environmental surfaces. So, we speculate their body surface would be adapted to reduce friction and wear. As results of surface analysis of a firebrat, firebrats were completely covered by scales, which surfaces have periodic microgroove structures. And groove periods are almost uniform within each scale. However, groove periods around only the head vary between scales. Friction force measurements revealed that firebrat scale reduces friction by decreasing contact area. Further, the heterogeneous groove periods of the scales suggest that it is difficult to fix the whole body in particular rough surfaces and that lead to "fail-safe".

Free Research Field

バイオミメティクス