Bio-inspiration is a powerful concept to develop novel functional materials. A special edition of leading journal Advanced Materials, edited by NCCR Bio-Inspired Materials Principal Investigator Nico Bruns and his University of Cambridge colleague Silvia Vignolini, presents bio-inspired materials across all length scales. This includes wood-based water purification systems, mussel proteininspired glues, diatoms that encapsulate drugs, fiber?reinforced composites that indicate damage by bleeding, helical cellulose nanocrystals for optical applications, pigments and coatings that mimic the structural color of insects and plants, architecture inspired by the moving parts of plants, and  much more. Authors include NCCR PIs Alke Fink, Barbara Rothen, Christoph Weder, Michael Mayer, Marco Lattuada, André Studart, and Ullrich Steiner.

Advanced Materials, Volume 30, Issue 19

Cover art by Miguel Spuch (Adolphe Merkle Institute)