“This model will be a simplification and an idealization, and consequently a falsification. It is to be hoped that the features retained for discussion are those of greatest importance in the present state of knowledge.”
A. M. Turing
Nanocoatings are thin films that are used to coat surfaces in order to create or improve the material's features (antireflective, hydrophobic, antimicrobial and other)1. Nowadays the nanocoatings methods are limited by various conditions (high temperature or pressure, lasers usage, etc.) and require non-ecological, toxic or corrosive materials2. On the opposite side of technology, insects create natural, biomolecules-based nanocoatings. The possibility as itself to uncover the mechanism of insects’ bionanocoating process is a challenge of utmost importance for the field of bionanotechnology. In order to glimpse the interplay of hidden chemicals in insects’ cornea, we utilize a combination of several approaches: Drosophila’s genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, material science, and mathematical approximation.
We identified the processes behind nanostructures self-assembly as the reaction-diffusion Alan Turing’s (RD) mechanism. Moreover, we found two main components of the nanocoatings present in insect eye – Retinin protein and wax. The reproduction of insects’ nanocoatings on artificial surfaces gives us the chance to create a new branch of nanobiotechnology with eco-friendly and/or
natural materials/components.