Drs. Ali Dhinojwala and Abraham Joy, Professors at the Department of Polymer Science, are well known for their research in biomimicry, the science of applying natural characteristics to new technology. Recently their work caught the attention of Xploration Station: Nature Knows Best, a syndicated television show dedicated to exploring all things science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The show’s host, Danni Washington, and a camera crew traveled to The University of Akron to interview them about their research.

Dr. Dhinojwala and Dr. Joy, along with UA students Ying Xu, Qianhui Liu, Amal Narayanan, and Dharamdeep Jain, have studied enough polymers and adhesives to know that nature does, indeed, know best. They noted that mussels were able to anchor themselves to rocks, withstanding the turbulent ocean tide. The strength of that underwater adhesive would have incredibly useful applications, from repairing water pipes to closing surgical wounds. By studying the qualities in mussels... Read More

In the vibrant world in which we live, colors are significant for not only aesthetics and pleasure, but also for communication, signaling and security. Colors are produced through either absorption of light by molecules —pigmentary colors — or scattering of light by nanostructures — structural colors.

Structural colors enable the creation of a spectrum of non-fading colors without pigments, potentially replacing toxic metal oxides and organic pigments. However, there are challenges. Many traditional structural colors are iridescent and thus not useful for wide-angle displays. Recent examples of non-iridescent structural colors have been found to lack sufficient color saturation in the absence of absorbing materials to reduce incoherent scattering. Read More