Inspiration (and perspiration) from biology.

Abstract

The exquisite structures produced by biological systems provide inspiration for the fabrication of nanomaterials. We sometimes forget, however, that Nature can provide muscle while serving as a Muse--a wide array of nanosystems are produced biologically that can be used for the design of functional materials. At the 2007 Materials Research Society Fall Meeting in Boston, Symposium MM (Biomolecular and Biologically Inspired Interfaces and Assemblies) highlighted the synergy between researchers using biomaterials and those using nature as a model for synthetic and quasi-synthetic systems. The symposium was organized by Vincent Rotello, Paula Hammond, Molly Stevens, Jeffrey Tok, and Darrin Pochan, with support provided by the U.S. Army Research Office and the RSC journal Soft Matter, and featured over 70 talks and 75 posters.