Paper on bio-inspired surfaces wins award

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers has awarded the Thomas Bernard Hall Prize to Prof Steven Abbott, MacDermid Autotype's research director.

The prize was awarded for Abbott's paper 'Mass Production of Bio-inspired Structured Surfaces', which he produced with Professor Philip Gaskell at the School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds (UK), where Professor Abbott is Visiting Professor.

The paper describes the science of bio-inspired surfaces, including the lotus effect, motheye anti-reflection, sharkskin drag reduction and the gecko-effect.

It also covers the technical challenges of capitalising on those natural phenomena in industrial and technical applications.

Professor Abbott said: 'The research that we've carried out in conjunction with a variety of leading academic and industry bodies has already begun to lead to innovation in the area of optical films.

'For example, MacDermid Autotype has developed a range of high performance films that offer exceptional anti-glare and anti-reflection properties; these have been developed following studies into the nano-structures found in the compound multi-faceted eyes of moths, which have evolved to collect as much light as possible without reflection, to prevent detection by predators.

The films are produced using nano-replication techniques, with polycarbonate and PET substrates being treated with flexible and chemically bonded coatings.

The result is a range of thin, dimensionally stable and formable films with uniform textures that reflect less light across the visible wavelength range.

The films also eliminate the problems of iridescence and light glare, or specular reflection.

The Thomas Bernard Hall Prize was established by Thomas Bernard Hall in 1917 and is awarded annually by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers to the authors of original materials dealing with invention, design or research in mechanical engineering.

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