Physical phenomena such as adhesion and friction are widelyspread in biological systems. They rely on a combination of various mechanisms. Since living creatures move on land, in air and in water, there are numerous mechanical interactions between their body surfaces and the environment. Moreover, the motion of cells and tissues inside their bodies is an important part of developmental processes, circulation, respiration, excretion, and any other kind of motility. All these processes rely on adhesion and friction and are continuously under evolutionary pressure, which has contributed to the appearance of highly-specialized surfaces adapted to the enhancement, reduction, or optimization of their frictional and adhesive behavior. The study of these adaptations may also provide inspirations for the design of biologically-inspired artificial surfaces. This Thematic Series is a collection of experimental and theoretical studies which range from insect adhesion, bacterial adhesion and skin friction to artificial biomimetic systems, e.g., snake-skin inspired polymer patterns or gecko tape.

See also the Thematic Series:
Biological and biomimetic materials and surfaces
Biomimetic materials