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Caption:
Nano Golf Balls on Timble/Noise Maker of Periodic Cicada (Magicicada septendecim) which are formed biologically by the native Cicada.
Rakkiyappan Chandran, PhD candidate
Advisor: Dr. Dennis LaJeunesse
University of North Carolina Greensboro
Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering
Department of Nanoscience
Laboratory website: http://jsnn.ncat.uncg.edu/
Technique: The image was acquired using a Zeiss Auriga SEM with the InLens detector and a EHT- 2keV electron beam.
Description:
The Periodic Cicada (Magicicada septendecim) is an insect that displays nanostructured surfaces (NSS) on their noise maker cuticle surface which look like ‘nano golf balls.’ Cicadas have an interesting way of producing mating calls by oscillating a pair of superfast tymbal muscles which are located at the anterior abdominal cavity. These muscles pull on the buckle stiff-ribbed cuticular tymbal membranes that are located beneath their folded wings. These native nano structures facilitate the noise frequency of the insects. These nano structures are made of biopolymers, which are about 50 nm in size, which are aligned in a random orientation. The goal of this research is to develop novel synthetic polymeric structures and mimic the native features for various applications.
Funding Source: This work was supported by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBC) Biotechnology Research Grant and through the generous support of Dr. James Ryan, the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering and the State of North Carolina.
