A Comprehensive Review of Bio-Inspired Surface and Morphological Structures for Enhancing Aerodynamic and Hydrodynamic Performances: Trends, Mechanisms, and Future Horizons

Bio-inspired wing designs have emerged as a revolutionary approach to enhancing aerodynamic and hydrodynamic performance across a wide range of engineering applications. This review presents a comprehensive exploration of the biological principles, physical mechanisms, and performance outcomes associated with aerodynamic characteristics of aerial vehicles through fine-scale biomimetic features. This review categorizes these bio-inspired surface and morphological models into static, superhydrophobic, and dynamic smart structures. Furthermore, it examines the underlying fluid mechanics through both experimental and computational studies, detailing key mechanisms including vortex manipulation, transition delay, reconfiguration, wake stabilization and flow deceleration. While demonstrating strong potential, the field faces challenges in scalability, structural integration, environmental durability, and performance under variable flow conditions. Future directions emphasize multifunctionality and standardized validation protocols. By unifying insights from nature with advances in biomimetics and fluid dynamics, this review outlines a roadmap for the next generation of intelligent, high-performance aerodynamic and hydrodynamic systems.