AN INTRODUCTION TO BIOMIMETICS - A STRUCTURAL VIEWPOINT

Biomimetics is a newly emerging interdisciplinary field in materials s cience and engineering and biology in which lessons learned from biolo gy form the basis for novel technological materials. It involves inves tigation of both structures and physical functions of biological compo sites of engineering interest with the goal of designing and synthesiz ing new and improved materials. This paper discusses microarchitectura l aspects of some structural biocomposites, presents microstructural c riteria for future materials design and processing, and identifies are as of future research. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.