Cicada Wings Contribute to Research in a New Field

[FamTimes reporter Yoon-ha Cho] Cicadas have inspired biologists and engineers to imitate their unique abilities.

Cicada wings possess a unique property called “superhydrophobicity.” Superhydrophobicity refers to the ability to repel water.

Nenad Miljkovic, a professor of mechanical science and engineering at the University of Illinois, described the research applying biology to artificial engineering as “bio-inspiration.”

Miljkovic added, “We are learning as much as possible from the natural form of cicada wings to design human-made objects that are useful to people.”

According to findings published in the journal Applied Materials & Interfaces, the researchers used high-speed microscopic imaging to record cicada activity and examine the properties of their wings in detail.

The researchers collected four cicada species, including 17-year periodical cicadas, from wetlands, forests, prairies and other habitats.

They tested the hypothesis that cicadas living in dry climates would lack superhydrophobicity, but surprisingly found the opposite. Habitat is therefore not a factor affecting the superhydrophobicity of cicada wings.

Cicada superhydrophobicity is also determined not only by how closely species are related, but by the life cycles that drive such evolution.

The findings are also linked to the researchers’ interdisciplinary approach.

Jun-ho Oh, a mechanical engineering graduate student and co-author of the study, said, “Working with biologists allowed us to better understand how cicadas survive and evolve, and taught us how to draw genuine bio-inspiration for mechanical engineering applications.”

Meanwhile, Don Cropek, an analytical chemist at the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory of the Energy Research and Development Center, expressed optimism about biochemical research projects, saying, “In the future, analytical chemistry, mechanical engineering, entomology and materials science will work together to replicate natural structures such as insect wings and create materials with enhanced properties.”

Reporter Yoon-ha Cho fam9@pcss.co.kr