Mirroring Nature: A Method for Replicating Cicada Wing Nanostructures and Their Antibacterial Properties

Abstract Cicada wings, demonstrating nature’s ingenuity, exhibit nanoscale surface structures, which render high transparency, superhydrophobicity, and antibacterial activity. These intriguing features have captured scientific interest, but reproducing such nanoarchitecture using standard fabrication techniques is challenging due to the wings’ complex structural features like their high-aspect ratio, compactness, and conical form. In this study, we introduce a method to accurately mirror cicada wings’ nanostructure. We utilize electrohydrodynamic instability principles within a polymer film. This procedure allows for rapid induction of electrohydrodynamic instability in an extended replication mode, causing the film fluid to permeate thoroughly into the cicada wing, creating a faithful mold structure and wing replica. The result is a wing replica that reproduces natural features with high uniformity. Furthermore, our wing replica demonstrates an antibacterial response inherent in natural cicada wings. This underscores our replication protocol’s effectiveness in mirroring both structural and functional attributes, suggesting potential applications based on these structural properties.