Bioinspired Surface Texturing: From Natural Prototypes to Advanced Applications and Future Perspectives

Friction, wear, and lubrication are pivotal to the efficiency, durability, and sustainability of mechanical systems. Surface texturing serves as a key passive strategy in tribology to modulate interfacial behavior, yet conventional designs often lack versatility and adaptability. Biomimetics offers profound solutions by drawing inspiration from nature’s optimized surfaces, such as the drag-reducing denticles of shark skin, the self-cleaning hierarchical structures of lotus leaves, the damage-tolerant “brick-and-mortar” architecture of nacre, and the water-harvesting patterns of desert beetles. This comprehensive review synthesizes recent advances in bioinspired surface textures, elucidating their underlying physical mechanisms—including turbulent flow control, superhydrophobicity, energy dissipation, and environmental responsiveness. It systematically navigates the entire development chain: from bio-prototype abstraction and physics-based design principles to advanced fabrication techniques such as laser processing, additive manufacturing and rigorous performance evaluation via simulation and experiment. Applications across diverse sectors—mechanical engineering, aerospace, biomedicine, and microsystems—are critically examined, demonstrating significant benefits in friction reduction, wear resistance, and functional integration. Finally, the review outlines future challenges and promising directions, such as smart responsive textures and data-driven inverse design, thereby charting an interdisciplinary research path for developing the next generation of intelligent, multifunctional bioinspired surfaces.