RESUMEN
As meticulously observed and recorded by Darwin, the leaves of the carnivorous plant Drosera capensis L. slowly fold around insects trapped on their sticky surface in order to ensure their digestion. While the biochemical signaling driving leaf closure has been associated with plant growth hormones, how mechanical forces actuate the process is still unknown. Here, we combine experimental tests of leaf mechanics with quantitative measurements of the leaf microstructure and biochemistry to demonstrate that the closure mechanism is programmed into the cellular architecture of D. capensis leaves, which converts a homogeneous biochemical signal into an asymmetric response. Inspired by the leaf closure mechanism, we devise and test a mechanical metamaterial, which curls under homogeneous mechanical stimuli. This kind of metamaterial could find possible applications as a component in soft robotics and provides an example of bio-inspired design.
Asunto(s)
Materiales Biomiméticos/química , Drosera/fisiología , Fenómenos Fisiológicos de las Plantas , Fenómenos Biomecánicos , Pared Celular/fisiología , Módulo de Elasticidad , Ácidos Indolacéticos/metabolismo , Movimiento , Hojas de la Planta/anatomía & histología , Hojas de la Planta/crecimiento & desarrollo , Hojas de la Planta/metabolismo , Hojas de la Planta/fisiologíaRESUMEN
Here, we follow the stable propagation of a roughening crack using simultaneously Digital Image Correlation and Infra-Red imaging. In a quasi-two-dimensional paper sample, the crack tip and ahead of that the fracture process zone follow the slowly, diffusively moving "hot spot" ahead of the tip. This also holds when the crack starts to roughen during propagation. The well-established intermittency of the crack advancement and the roughening of the crack in paper are thus subject to the dissipation and decohesion in the hot spot zone. They are therefore not only a result of the depinning of the crack in a heterogeneous material.