Morphogenesis and High-Throughput Nanomanufacturing of Synthetic Brochosomes Inspired by a Leafhopper.

Abstract

The formation of complex nanoscale architectures through molecular self-assembly remains a fundamental challenge in materials science and biology. Brochosomes─nanostructured granules produced by the Malpighian tubules of leafhoppers─exhibit diverse morphologies driven by molecular-level variations in their protein constituents. Inspired by this natural system, a droplet microfluidic platform is developed that adapts principles observed in leafhopper Malpighian tubules, using amphiphilic block copolymers to generate brochosome-like particles. By tuning the ratio of hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains and the molecular weight of the block copolymers, the interfacial tension of oil-in-water droplets is modulated to control particle diameter, pore geometry, and wall thickness, producing five distinct brochosome architectures that fall within the range observed in leafhoppers. The resulting particles range from 390 nm to 2 μm in diameter, with pore sizes between 30 and 130 nm. Self-assembly of the block copolymers and interfacial tension-driven morphogenesis enable high-throughput synthesis exceeding 10⁵ particles per second. The synthetic brochosomes exhibit broadband and omnidirectional antireflection across the ultraviolet and visible spectrum, comparable to natural brochosomes. This platform provides a scalable route to the fabrication of bioinspired micro- and nanostructures and elucidates how molecular design governs morphological evolution, with potential applications in optical coatings, pigments, camouflage materials, and biomedicine.