Caracterización nanoscópica superficial de la estructura de las alas del insecto andino Platycoelia (catzo ecuatoriano) a través de microscopia de fuerza atómica

Abstract

Biomimetics is the science that explores, from a biological description, different living organisms and how they have been able to solve complex problems still unsolved by the mankind. The application of atomic force microscopy allows us to extend nanoscopic knowledge and identify nanostructures that can help in the creation of new biomimetic materials. The present document is focused on the structural study of the Andean catzo Platycoelia. Despite being a species that has been reduced due to the urban population rise, the insect presents certain characteristics of interest in its wings that over the centuries have undergone several evolutionary alterations, providing them with certain properties of interest for the research of Biomimetics. The wings were extracted from the insect's body and analyzed by optical and atomic force microscopy. The existence of a certain periodic structure responsible for the vibrations and the production of its characteristic sound during flight was detected by two-dimensional Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). In addition, by means of AFM, a topographic study of the wing membrane was carried out and, through the interpretation of the Power Spectrum and the FFT, it was identified that there is a certain degree of periodicity.