Material inspired by dragonfly wings bursts bacteria
Prickly silicon could act as antimicrobial coating on medical devices
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/bm_prickly-silicon.jpg?fit=860%2C460&ssl=1)
KILLER WINGS Etched black silicon can mimic the nanoscale spikes that naturally occur on the wings of the dragonfly Diplacodes bipunctata (center). A synthetic surface with similar nanostructures, just 500 nanometers tall, can rupture bacterial cells and spores (scanning electron micrograph, lower right; computer-generated representation, upper left).
E. Ivanova et al./Nature Comm. 2013