The Biomimetics group of Ille C. Gebeshuber deals with physical principles of organisms and their transfer to the human sphere. Most biological functionalities have their origin on the nanoscale: Periodic nanostructures such as appear on wing scales in tropical butterflies cause iridescent structural colours and thermoregulation, nanoscale nail beds on cicada wing surfaces serve as mechanical bactericide, even functional against multidrug resistant bacteria. Microscale structures cause hydrophobicity and controlled water runoff, as can be seen in Lotus leaves. Many such functionalities are structure dependent, and can be transferred to technologically relevant materials. 

Latest publications:

Our "Good Enough" paper appeared in Advanced Functional Materials, opens an external URL in a new window in 2023 - a TU press release was also written about it! In February 2024, our work on bactericidal cicada wings, which can inspire new antibacterial coatings, was published by Springer Nature in the journal Applied Nanoscience, opens an external URL in a new window.

In August 2024, we published an article describing an interdisciplinary educational project, opens an external URL in a new window in which pupils aged 11-12 make mycelium bricks as living, sustainable building materials. By combining biology, engineering and art, the children gain practical knowledge in the areas of mycology, sustainable materials and artistic creation.

Wallflowers and golden horses possess remarkable abilities: Wallflowers thrive in metal-contaminated environments and absorb metals, making them unpalatable to predators. Golden horses (Akhal-Teke) use their hollow hairs to cope with extreme temperature fluctuations. We study these phenomena to develop eco-friendly solutions, such as metal extraction and building cooling systems. An article in the magazine GEO (in German), opens an external URL in a new window discussed our research!

In April 2025, our bionically inspired paper on the path from nanostructure to function in bio-based materials such as chitin and keratin was published in the Zeitschrift für Physikalische Chemie, opens an external URL in a new window, together with my bachelor student Julia Freigassner and my PhD student Richard W. van Nieuwenhoven.

More information can be found in the following videos and on the personal website of Ille C. Gebeshuber, opens an external URL in a new window!