Bio-Inspired Functional Surface

Dear Colleagues,

Biological surfaces in nature exhibit extraordinary functional capabilities, such as directional liquid transport, adhesion control, self-cleaning, anti-icing, and stimulus responsiveness. These features are not only essential for organism survival but also offer rich inspiration for developing next-generation materials and intelligent systems. By mimicking the structure–function relationships found in nature, bionic functional surfaces can be engineered to achieve enhanced mechanical, chemical, optical, and sensing properties. 

This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest advancements in the design, fabrication, and application of bionic functional surfaces, with a particular emphasis on their integration into bio-inspired sensing systems. These include surfaces capable of pressure, strain, temperature, humidity, or chemical detection, enabling functions such as self-adaptive feedback, multi-modal perception, and interaction with complex environments.

We invite submissions that explore the structure–property–function correlation of biological surfaces and their artificial counterparts, as well as interdisciplinary approaches that combine materials science, soft electronics, micro-/nano-engineering, and bio-interfacing. Contributions addressing real-world applications in robotics, healthcare, flexible electronics, energy systems, and environmental monitoring are especially welcome. 

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Bio-inspired design and fabrication of functional surfaces;
• Micro-/nano-structured surfaces with enhanced sensing capabilities;
• Wetting, adhesion, anti-fouling, and anti-icing surface functions;
• Stimuli-responsive or reconfigurable bionic surfaces;
• Bionic surfaces integrated with flexible or stretchable sensors;
• Surface-assisted tactile, pressure, and strain sensing;
• Multi-functional sensing skins and epidermal electronics;
• Intelligent sensing surfaces for human–machine interfaces;
• Applications in soft robotics, wearable devices, and biomedical systems. 

This Special Issue offers a platform for researchers to share recent progress and interdisciplinary insights at the interface of bionic surfaces and advanced sensing technologies, bridging biology, engineering, and smart materials innovation.

Dr. Linpeng Liu
Dr. Changchao Zhang
Dr. Jingxiang Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomimetics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.