TY - JOUR
T1 - Metamaterial architecture from a self-shaping carnivorous plant
AU - La Porta, Caterina A.M.
AU - Lionetti, Maria Chiara
AU - Bonfanti, Silvia
AU - Milan, Simone
AU - Ferrario, Cinzia
AU - Rayneau-Kirkhope, Daniel
AU - Beretta, Mario
AU - Hanifpour, Maryam
AU - Fascio, Umberto
AU - Ascagni, Miriam
AU - De Paola, Larissa
AU - Budrikis, Zoe
AU - Schiavoni, Mario
AU - Falletta, Ermelinda
AU - Caselli, Alessandro
AU - Chepizhko, Oleksandr
AU - Tuissi, Ausonio
AU - Vailati, Alberto
AU - Zapperi, Stefano
N1 - | openaire: EC/H2020/841640/EU//METADESIGN
PY - 2019/9/17
Y1 - 2019/9/17
N2 - As meticulously observed and recorded by Darwin, the leaves of the carnivorous plant Drosera capensis L. slowly fold around insects trapped on their sticky surface in order to ensure their digestion. While the biochemical signaling driving leaf closure has been associated with plant growth hormones, how mechanical forces actuate the process is still unknown. Here, we combine experimental tests of leaf mechanics with quantitative measurements of the leaf microstructure and biochemistry to demonstrate that the closure mechanism is programmed into the cellular architecture of D. capensis leaves, which converts a homogeneous biochemical signal into an asymmetric response. Inspired by the leaf closure mechanism, we devise and test a mechanical metamaterial, which curls under homogeneous mechanical stimuli. This kind of metamaterial could find possible applications as a component in soft robotics and provides an example of bioinspired design.
AB - As meticulously observed and recorded by Darwin, the leaves of the carnivorous plant Drosera capensis L. slowly fold around insects trapped on their sticky surface in order to ensure their digestion. While the biochemical signaling driving leaf closure has been associated with plant growth hormones, how mechanical forces actuate the process is still unknown. Here, we combine experimental tests of leaf mechanics with quantitative measurements of the leaf microstructure and biochemistry to demonstrate that the closure mechanism is programmed into the cellular architecture of D. capensis leaves, which converts a homogeneous biochemical signal into an asymmetric response. Inspired by the leaf closure mechanism, we devise and test a mechanical metamaterial, which curls under homogeneous mechanical stimuli. This kind of metamaterial could find possible applications as a component in soft robotics and provides an example of bioinspired design.
KW - Bending
KW - Biomechanics
KW - Drosera capensis
KW - Metamaterials
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85072270264&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1904984116
DO - 10.1073/pnas.1904984116
M3 - Article
C2 - 31451632
AN - SCOPUS:85072270264
VL - 116
SP - 18777
EP - 18782
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
SN - 0027-8424
IS - 38
ER -