Chem
Volume 2, Issue 2, 9 February 2017, Pages 224-239
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Article
Materially Engineered Artificial Pollinators

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chempr.2017.01.008Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Ionic liquid gels exhibit various physicochemical properties

  • The gels enable photochromic camouflage and flower pollination with living insects

  • The gel-coated fibers allow effective pollen collection

  • A flying robot equipped with hybrid fibers can be used for artificial pollination

The Bigger Picture

The global pollination crisis is a critical issue for the natural environment and our lives. The need to develop an innovative pollination tool that does not require time and effort to achieve pollination with a high success rate is urgent. The use of material chemistry for ionic liquid gels (ILGs) allows us to design multifunctional composites that are entirely controllable through simple combinations of constituent molecules. Here, we exemplify the functional ILG composites for artificial pollination using living insects and radiowave-controlled robots. The combination of comprehensive understanding of the fundamental chemistry of ILGs and the creation of a practical pollination technology has the potential in the long term to lead to a breakthrough for a sustainable society.

Summary

Pollinating insects such as honeybees play a critical role in maintaining the natural environment. The decline in honeybee populations is a global issue with significant repercussions with respect to the pollination of plants. The simultaneous expression of multifunctionality from synthesized ionic liquid gels (ILGs) for biotechnology is presented in this study. We also demonstrate that, when mixed with photochromic organic compounds, ILGs display rapid color changes, similar to light-triggered camouflage, on living Musca domestica specimens. By further exploiting the physicochemical properties of ILGs, we were able to achieve effective pollen adsorption by ILG-functionalized Formica japonica specimens from Tulipa gesneriana flowers with high biocompatibility. In addition, a radiowave-controllable bio-inspired flying robot equipped with ILG-coated vertically aligned animal hairs could be used to successfully pollinate Lilium japonicum flowers. Such materially engineered artificial plant pollinators should lead to the development of high-performance robotics that can help counter the decline in honeybee populations.

Keywords

functional fiber
ionic liquid gel
pollination
robotics

UN Sustainable Development Goals

SDG3: Good health and well-being
SDG15: Life on land

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