Modern polymeric materials and surfaces are cornerstones of Europe’s economy and research activities. Materials with novel properties are therefore of great interest. Nature provides us with a rich pool of multifunctional materials that can act as concept generators for synthetic materials. The outermost layer of plant leaves and flower petals, the cuticle, is a smart polymer composite with a variety of functions, ranging from controlled regulation of water permeability, to the formation of structural color and sticky or non-friction surfaces.

The overall aims of PlaMatSu were

1. to address the challenge of creating new functional polymeric materials and surfaces by studying structure, formation and function-property relationships in plant cuticles.
2. to educate the next generation of scientists who have the necessary interdisciplinary knowledge for turning bio-inspired scientific results into innovation.