Spider webs inspire 3D photodetectors

According to Chi Hwan Lee, a Purdue assistant professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering, the team employed the unique fractal design of a spider web for the development of deformable and reliable electronics that interface with any 3D curvilinear surface.

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"For example, we demonstrated a hemispherical, or dome-shaped, photodetector array that can detect both direction and intensity of incident light at the same time, like the vision system of arthropods such as insects and crustaceans," he said in a statement.

The Purdue technology uses the structural architecture of a spider web that exhibits a repeating pattern.

Lee said this provides unique capabilities to distribute externally induced stress throughout the threads according to the effective ratio of spiral and radial dimensions and provides greater extensibility to better dissipate force under stretching. Lee added it can tolerate also minor cuts of the threads while maintaining overall strength and function of the entire web architecture.