Fruit fly eye study could impact future textiles

Russian and Swiss scientists have learned how to replicate a nanocoating with antimicrobial, anti-reflective and self-cleaning properties, based on the structures covering the corneas of fruit fly eyes, that could find applications in the textile industry.

Researchers from Far Eastern Federal University teamed with colleagues from the University of Geneva, the University of Lausanne and Zurich’s Swiss Federal Institute of Technology on the project, which artificially reproduced the nanocoating designed to protect fruit fly eyes from dust particles and shut off light reflection.

The discovery, according to Vladimir Katanaev, head of research and head of the Laboratory of Pharmacology of Natural Compounds in the School of Biomedicine at FEFU, has broad applications, including for textiles. 

“It could be the structural dyeing of textiles that would change the color depending on the angle of view,” Katanaev said. “It is possible to create a disguise coat based on metamaterials, an antibacterial layer for medical implants, and a self-cleaning coating for contact lenses and windshields. We also believe that if we reinforce the nanocoating, it might be utilized as a basis of flexible miniature transistors prototypes designed for modern electronics.”

The scientists rebuilt the corneal coating of small fruit flies using direct and reverse bioengineering methods. The report of this discovery first appeared in the journal Nature.

SOURCE: Home Textiles Today