The natural antibacterial qualities of insect wings has inspired scientists in the lab to come up with new technology to package food.
A team of Australian and Japanese scientists have collaborated to replicate the texture and say it could help extend the shelf life of food such as meat, fish and vegetables.
Professor Elena Ivanova of RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, told Jesse Mulligan her team found it challenging to commercialise their work, but had now achieved that goal.
The nanopillars on the surface of a dragonfly wing (magnified 20,000 times). Photo: RMIT University in Melbourne
The study largely looked at the wings of cicadas and dragonflies, the most abundant insects on the planet, Ivanova says.
The insect wings are unique and serve several purposes, but it was the impressive ability to self-clean that caught their eye, she says.
"They're not only perfect for flying, they combine a helicopter and airplane in one and there are a lot of aerodynamic properties in the wing.
“But another amazing feature of the wing is that they are self-cleaning, and that particular property helps them to fly and keep free from bacteria.”
The work the team have been involved in draws heavily on the idea that nature holds solutions to everyday problems.
“The self-cleaning effect of the wings is quite versatile and again we’re talking about nature design and we always learn from nature,” she says.
The wings have a number of ways of keeping clean. Water bounces off the wings and the wings repel dust and pollen. Bacteria on the other hand does attach to the wings, but it fractures structures within the wings that drop off, enabling the wing to remain functional and healthy while clearing away the bacteria.
The pattern of the wing was replicated in the lab, enabling the design to be used in materials used to package food.
“In co-operation to our Japanese colleagues we developed a nanotechnology approach, which mimics the pattern of insect wings," she says.
"What is really challenging here is to reproduce this pattern on the nano scale, particularly on the polymers and what is even more challenging is the upscaling, bringing the laboratory development to commercialise it… That’s what we’re trying to achieve and I’m really pleased to confirm that this has been successful development.”
The technology is now being applied to hard and soft plastics in food packaging and acrylic surfaces.
“Our industry partner is Mitsubishi Chemicals, a famous industrial entity and we are hopeful they will implement this production,” she says.
