The term “nature-inspired” is associated with a sequence of efforts to understand, synthesize and imitate any natural object or phenomenon either in a tangible or intangible form, which allows us to obtain improved insights into nature. Such inspirations can come through materials, processes, or designs that we see around us. Materials, as opposed to processes and designs found in nature, are tangible and can readily be used without engineering efforts. One such example is that of an aquaporin that is used to filter water. The scope of this work in nature-inspired materials is to define, clarify, and consolidate our current understanding by reviewing examples from the laboratory to industrial scale to highlight emerging opportunities. A careful analysis of “nature-inspired materials” shows that they possess specific functionality that relies on our ability to harness particular electrical, mechanical, biological, chemical, sustainable, or combined gains.

“受自然启发”一词与以有形或无形形式理解、合成和模仿任何自然物体或现象的一系列努力有关，这使我们能够更好地了解自然。这些灵感可以来自我们在我们周围看到的材料、过程或设计。与自然界中发现的工艺和设计相反，材料是有形的，无需工程努力即可轻松使用。一个这样的例子是用于过滤水的水通道蛋白。这项受自然启发的材料的工作范围是通过审查从实验室到工业规模的示例来定义、澄清和巩固我们当前的理解，以突出新兴机会。