Paleo-inspiration is a paradigm shift that leads scientists and designers to draw inspiration from ancient materials (from art, archaeology, natural history or paleo-environments) to develop new systems or processes, particularly with a view to sustainability.
Paleo-inspiration has already contributed to numerous applications in fields as varied as green chemistry, the development of new artist materials, composite materials, microelectronics, and construction materials. [1]
While this type of application has been known for a long time, the concept itself was coined by teams from the French National Centre for Scientific Research, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Bern University of Applied Sciences from the term Bioinspiration. They published the concept in a seminal paper published online in 2017 by the journal Angewandte Chemie. [2]
Different names have been used to designate the corresponding systems, in particular: paleo-inspired, [2] antiqua-inspired, [1] antiquity-inspired [3] or archaeomimetic. [4] The use of these different names illustrates the extremely large time gap between the sources of inspiration, from millions of years ago when considering palaeontological systems and fossils, to much more recent archaeological or artistic material systems.
Distinct physico-chemical and mechanical properties are sought.
They may concern intrinsic properties of the paleo-inspired materials:
They can also concern processes:
This approach combines several key stages.
Emblematic examples include the microscopic study of the mineral phases present in Roman concretes to reproduce their durability in aggressive environments, particularly in the marine environment. [7]
A notable discovery is the elucidation of the atomic structure of Maya blue, a composite pigment combining a clay with an organic dye, which has led teams to produce pigments of other colours by combining clays with distinct organic dyes, such as "Maya violet". [8]
Paleo-inspiration is a paradigm shift that leads scientists and designers to draw inspiration from ancient materials (from art, archaeology, natural history or paleo-environments) to develop new systems or processes, particularly with a view to sustainability.
Paleo-inspiration has already contributed to numerous applications in fields as varied as green chemistry, the development of new artist materials, composite materials, microelectronics, and construction materials. [1]
While this type of application has been known for a long time, the concept itself was coined by teams from the French National Centre for Scientific Research, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Bern University of Applied Sciences from the term Bioinspiration. They published the concept in a seminal paper published online in 2017 by the journal Angewandte Chemie. [2]
Different names have been used to designate the corresponding systems, in particular: paleo-inspired, [2] antiqua-inspired, [1] antiquity-inspired [3] or archaeomimetic. [4] The use of these different names illustrates the extremely large time gap between the sources of inspiration, from millions of years ago when considering palaeontological systems and fossils, to much more recent archaeological or artistic material systems.
Distinct physico-chemical and mechanical properties are sought.
They may concern intrinsic properties of the paleo-inspired materials:
They can also concern processes:
This approach combines several key stages.
Emblematic examples include the microscopic study of the mineral phases present in Roman concretes to reproduce their durability in aggressive environments, particularly in the marine environment. [7]
A notable discovery is the elucidation of the atomic structure of Maya blue, a composite pigment combining a clay with an organic dye, which has led teams to produce pigments of other colours by combining clays with distinct organic dyes, such as "Maya violet". [8]