ANKARA — A hostage standoff at a Procter & Gamble plant near Istanbul has ended without any casualties nine hours after an armed man raided the plant on Thursday
taking seven people hostage in a protest against Israeli actions in Gaza
the assailant stormed the P&G plant in Turkey’s northwestern province of Kocaeli
Kocaeli Governor Seddar Yavuz said that neither hostages nor the assailant was harmed in the operation
“We neutralized him in a tiny operation because the negotiations failed,” he said
The governor added that the assailant was carrying two guns and that his goal was “to stop the massacres committed by Israel in Gaza and the opening” of the Rafah border crossing
Yavuz identified the man as a former worker at the plant and said that the Turkish security forces established no link between him and any militant group
Relatives of the hostages who were waiting outside the plant’s vast compound cheered when they received the news
a P&G spokesman from the company’s headquarters in Ohio told the AFP that it was “working with local authorities to resolve an urgent security situation.”
The company later informed its workers on the plant’s night shift not to come to the plant
the assailant posted a video on his social media account that was taken inside the plant and showed writing on a wall
which read “The gates will open for Gaza,” and Turkey and Palestine flags
In another video also posted on social media
the assailant is heard asking for more humanitarian aid to reach Gaza
In the video hostages are seen unharmed and moving freely inside an office at the plant
Police cordoned off roads leading to the plant
Ambulances were also dispatched to the scene
Turkey has been a scene of mass protests against both Israel and the United States over Washington’s support of the Jewish state’s military operations against the militant group
the US embassy in Ankara warned US citizens about potential attacks on certain US-branded businesses amid ongoing mass protests against Israel over the ongoing war in Gaza
Local branches of several multinational chains
boycotts and vandalism by demonstrators throughout late October and early November as the humanitarian toll in Gaza increased
Turkish officials and official institutions also endorsed protests and boycotts against international brands
The head of the country’s state-run religious affair directorate
on Wednesday called on citizens to continue boycotts against Israeli brands
a leading champion of the Palestinian cause
has also been chastising Israel over the rising humanitarian toll in Gaza
7 attack killed at least 1,200 people in southern Israel
and more than 28,000 people were killed in Gaza in the ensuing war between the Jewish state and the militant group
This is a developing story and has been updated since its initial publication
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Nature offers unique examples that help humans produce artificial systems which mimic specific functions of living organisms and provide solutions to complex technical problems of the modern world
the development of 3D micro-nanostructures that mimic nocturnal insect eyes (optimized for night vision)
emerges as promising technology for detection in IR spectral region
we report a proof of principle concerning the design and laser 3D printing of all ultrastructural details of nocturnal moth Grapholita Funebrana eyes
for potential use as microlens arrays for IR detection systems
Optimized computer-aided design and laser writing parameters enabled us to reproduce the entire complex architecture of moth compound eyes
the laser-imprinted structures consisted in ommatidia-like microstructures with average diameter of about 14 μm
decorated with nipple-like nanopillars between 200 and 400 nm in height and average periodicity of around 450 nm
The dimensions of moth-eye inspired structures deviated by less than 10% from the natural corresponding structures
The optical properties of the moth eyes-inspired microlens arrays were investigated in the infrared (IR) range
The optical transmission of microlens arrays with nanopillars was up to 17.55% higher than the transmission through microlens arrays without nanopillars
the reflection of nanopillar-decorated microlens arrays was up to 0.91% lower than the reflection for microlenses without nanopillars
the focal spot diameter at 1/e2 for nanopillar—decorated microlens arrays was of 7.64 μm
representing and improvement of 16.5% of focal spot diameter as compared to microlens arrays without nanopillars
the reflection measured in the Visible range was higher for microlense arrays with nanopillars than the reflection through microlenses arrays without nanopillars
in the Visible range the transmission of nanopillar-decorated microlens arrays was lower than the one for microlense arrays without nanopillars
assigned to diffraction losses on the nanopillars
Moth compound eyes enhance dim-light vision by overlapping images from different facets /ommatidia that consequently increase the image brightness
we overcome the above limitations through an innovative approach regarding the design and single-step fabrication of moth-eye-inspired microlenses arrays
for potential applications as optical filters
The scientific added value of our work consists of the fact that our biomimetic structures mimicked the whole complex architecture of the compound eyes of adult Grapholita Funebrana moths
the artificial biomimetic structures we developed consist in ommatidia-like microstructures decorated by nipple-like nanopillars that followed the curvature of the former
the diameters of ommatidia-like microstructures reported in this study
as well as the heights and periodicities of the nipple-like nanopillars on top were in the same range as the corresponding structures from the moth eyes
The moth-eye-inspired biomimetic structures were fabricated by Laser Direct Writing via Two Photon Polymerization of IP-Dip photopolymeric resin
The ommatidia-like parts of the structures
were positioned in a hexagonal lattice on a flat glass substrate
and the nipple-like nanopillars decorating them followed the curved surface of each ommatidium-like structure
Our biomimetic structures have the potential to be used as optical filters in the Near-Infrared spectral range
In this work we report a proof of principle regarding the design
fabrication and optical characterization of bioinspired microlens arrays
similar to compound eyes of nocturnal insects (Grapholita Funebrana moth)
In order to provide systematic and relevant data for the development of accurate IR optical detection systems
we evaluated the optical properties of the bioinspired microlens arrays (transmission
reflection and focusing properties) in the near-infrared spectral region
Design was realized using Python programming language
with SciPy and Matplotlib as the main working libraries
Running the Python script resulted in several files containing information appropriate for use with Nanoscribe’s DeScribe software (.gwl files containing laser writing parameters and Cartesian coordinates for all points defining the microstructures
Design was verified and validated before fabricating microstructures via Matplotlib’s plotting functions
as well as DeScribe simulation capabilities
which can trace and simulate the whole fabrication process
The structures discussed in this paper are designed to have multi-scale geometric features similar to the compound eyes of Grapholita Funebrana moth
The unit structure is comprised of a microlens with a parabolic cross-section of the surface
on top of which there are nanopillars that follow the surface of the microlens
which mimic the nipple-like nanostructures from the moth eyes
(a) Schematic representation of LDW via TPP experimental setup and working principle; (b) moth-eye inspired nanopillar-decorated microlens design: nanopillar distribution
top view of laser path for microlens fabrication (right panel)
usually with an infrared region central wavelength
that are tightly focused inside a photoresist transparent to its central wavelength
The laser intensity in the spatial region close to the focal point reaches above the threshold where two-photon phenomena become the main laser-matter interaction mechanism
The two-photon absorption process initiates a specific chemical reaction such as chain polymerization
Tuning the laser intensity in the focal point enables the effective laser processing volume (volume pixel
or “voxel”) to reach dimensions below the diffraction limit of the focusing optical system
enabling high spatial resolution of the imprinted structures
This resolution is achieved due to laser processing below the diffraction limit
which is achievable through multi-photon interaction
The photoresist is transparent to the incident laser radiation
photoinitiator molecules show strong optical absorption for the second harmonic of 390 nm
a high repetition rate femtosecond laser source is used (80 MHz
Incident radiation is focused using a photoresist-immersed 100x (N.A
inside a drop-casted transparent photoresist (IP-Dip) on a glass substrate 22 × 22 × 0.17 mm
Incident laser radiation does not interact with the photoresist until volumetric energy density goes above the two-photon absorption threshold
photoinitiator molecules present in the photoresist interact with the second harmonic
become ionized and free radicals are formed
These ionized photoinitiator molecules form chemical bonds with monomer molecules encountered inside the photoresist
The newly bonded molecules retain active terminations
until a chemical bond is formed with another molecule (or polymeric chain) that also has an active termination
This process is known as “chain polymerization” and results in randomly positioned
entangled polymeric chains that form a solid material in the voxel
the photoresist volume where laser intensity was above two-photon absorption threshold
which is a LDW via TPP installation that uses a Er-doped femtosecond fiber laser (80 MHz
frequency-doubled via a periodically poled Li: NbO3 crystal)
The photoresist used in this paper is IP-Dip
which is a UV-curable negative photoresist optimized for high resolution two photon polymerization
The photoresist is a transparent viscous liquid that is drop-casted on a fused quartz glass slide
Samples have been fabricated with a writing speed of 90 μm/s and laser powers between 9.6 and 12 mW
samples have been developed via immersion in propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA) for 13 min
followed by rinsing with Novec 7100 and air drying
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigations of structure morphology was performed using a FEI Quanta Inspect F Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) (Hillsboro
For accurate quantitative evaluation of the nanopillar heights and periodicity
the samples were investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
using a commercial system XE100 - Park Systems
The travel of the AFM needle allowed us to scan 8 × 8 m2 areas on each ommatidium-like microlens
To check the accuracy of our biomimetic approach
artificial) moth eye-like structures was tested by comparison with the structure of natural moth eyes
the first generation of Grapholita Funebrana moths were captured using dedicated pheromone traps which were mounted on chemically untreated plum trees in the town of Urlati
at the end of April – beginning of May 2024
They were enclosed in a small vial with a drop of 2% OsO4 for 24 h
Preparation of moth samples for scanning electron microscopy investigation was done via fixing the specimens in glutaraldehyde 2.5% in PBS for one hour
followed by dehydration in solutions of ethanol and ethanol: hexamethyl disilazane of increasing concentrations
The specimens were then sputtered with 10 nm gold thin film and examined using FEI Quanta Inspect F Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) (Hillsboro
For optical characterization of the samples
we measured the transmission and reflection spectra
as well as the focal distance and focal point transverse intensity distribution
The incident light source was delivered by a supercontinuum laser system (NKT SuperK Extreme EXW-4)
Data acquisition was done using an Optical Spectrum Analyzer (OSA)
for IR analysis and Ocean Optics QE65000 for Visible range analysis
We measured the optical transmission between 300 and 750 nm and 1000–1700 nm respectively
Transmission spectrum has been measured using an uniaxial setup (shown in Supplementary Information
The incident light source was collimated and its diameter reduced via an aperture in order to obtain a parallel beam with a diameter that covers the microlens array
both transmitted and reflected light were collected using a 5x/N.A
0.14 Plan Apochromat microscope objective with a working distance of 34 mm (Edmund Optics ELWD 59876)
subsequently focused using a 50 mm N-BK7 plano-convex lens with AR coating for 1050–1700 nm
on the ferrule of a multimode fluorozirconate (ZBLAN) fiber optic patch cable with a core diameter of 100 μm
the transmission and reflection were measured using a QP400-1-VIS-NIR fiber optic patch cable from Ocean Optics with a core diameter of 400 μm
The reflection spectrum was measured using the same optical components
but the incident light source and the light collecting components were positioned at 20 degrees incidence and reflection angles
respectively (shown in Supplementary Information
the free beam spectrum has been measured as a reference and experimental data is shown relative to the free beam
Transmission and reflection spectra have been measured for microlens arrays with and without nanopillars
Focusing characteristics have been measured using a Carl Zeiss Axio Observer camera and a Zeiss LD Plan-Neofluar 63x
Camera parameters were set so that intensity saturation would not occur (i.e
Sample positioning was achieved using the same high resolution positioning system that was used for fabrication
We used a mounted LED system (Thorlabs M625L2
625 nm) as the incident light source for determining focusing characteristics
the system was first focused on the base of the microlens array
using the autofocus procedure of the Nanoscribe system on the surface of the glass substrate next to the microlens array
The objective was then moved away from the microlens system until the focal spot was the smallest
Focus spot characteristics were analyzed using Fiji (ImageJ) software
the diameter of a microlens was taken as reference
Fiji was used to generate an intensity (gray levels) surface plot of an isolated focal spot
as well as the transverse intensity profile (gray levels; horizontal)
which was fitted with a no-offset Gaussian function
Focusing characteristics have been measured for microlens arrays with and without nanopillars
instead of traditional spherical microlenses; the logarithmic lens profile increased the depth of field and focus range significantly
which allowed each microlens of the curved array to focus incident light on a flat standard CMOS detector
It is important to mention that the moth-eye inspired structures presented in this work are not strictly biomimetic
We used the concept of biomimicry in synergy with the advantages of LDW via TPP technique used for structures fabrication
in order to obtain structures that closely resemble the compound eyes of nocturnal insects
as a function of their height: class I corneas with nipples less than 50 nm in height
class II corneas with “low-sized nipples” i.e
and class III corneas with so-called “full-sized nipples”
exhibits low diffraction intensity and efficient AR properties
the microlens arrays presented in this study have been designed with a spiral-like arrangement of the nanopillars in order to have closely packed nanopillars with lower periodicity
and nanoimprint lithography for obtaining nipple-inspired antireflective glass surfaces
having an average reflectance lower than 1% and a transmittance of approximately 95%
this reflectance characteristic arises from the interference of light reflected at both the top and bottom of the periodic nanopillar array
Despite the nanopillars being made from the same material as the substrate
the moth-eye nanostructuring introduces a heterogeneous optical interface
further investigation is necessary in order to experimentally determine the precise influence of nanopillar heights on microlens optical behavior
In order to print the nanopillar array along the surface of a microlens
we first performed a parametric study concerning the two main steps involved in structure fabrication: the design - that theoretically establishes 3D architectures and dimensions of structures - and the laser writing parameters - that experimentally determine the actual fabrication of the structures by LDW via TPP
This was done because the theoretical design accounts for laser paths
while the experimental feedback loop takes the energy dose into consideration and
This is relevant for microstructure design because it has a considerable influence over obtainable nanopillar heights
The polymerization process takes place virtually as long as a particular volume is irradiated
Longer irradiation times of a region in space determines an accumulation of polymeric chains
therefore a larger nanopillar (both diameter and height)
fine-tuning the geometry of the nanopillar array is done through both design and laser parameters
defined by laser path) heights of the pillars
in order to experimentally obtain pillar heights of 300 nm
Nanopillars are slim structures (pillar diameter equal to a single voxel diameter) and need to be mechanically stable
as well as to have an appropriate anchoring to the underlying support structure (ommatidium-like microlens)
the incident laser beam was focused below the surface
to provide mechanical stability and appropriate adherence to the surface of the microlens
we reported that the laser scan speed has no determining influence over structure shapes and dimensions
we emphasized the role of laser power on the height and periodicity of the nanopillars
while the scan speed was kept constant at 90 μm/s
LIL offers significant advantages regarding the time requested for producing nanostructures over large areas
with process times ranging from only several minutes to few hours
depending on the complexity and on the post-processing needs
The process time of LIL is considerably lower than electron beam lithography or focused ion beam milling
the applicability of the two techniques is different
as LIL is faster and suitable for large-area 2D or quasi-3D structures periodic structures
but able to produce much more complex 3D micro-nanostructures
our choice to employ LDW via TPP to fabricate the moth-eye inspired structures is fully justified
this technique is more suitable to fabricate complex biomimetic structures such as the night-vision lenses that simulate the moth eye than LIL
LIL is more cost-effective in comparison to LDW via TPP when using it for the fabrication of large-area periodic micro/nanostructures because of equipment and materials costs
the precision and flexibility of LDW via TPP can not be matched by LIL in terms of fabricating complex biomimetic 3D micro-nanostructures
LDW via TPP is advantageous in high-precision applications
which is not suitable for specialized custom-made designs
(a) SEM micrographs showing ommatidia -like microstructures decorated with nipple-like nanopillars
mimicking the structures in from moths eyes
fabricated by LDW via TPP with laser power of: (i,iv) 12 mW; (ii,v) 10.8 mW; (iii,vi) 9.6 mW
(i,ii,iii) Top views; (iv,v,vi) Tilted views (30 degrees); (b) Comparison of Grapholita Funebrana ommatidium (i,iv); moth-eye artificial ommatidium design (ii,v) and LDW via TPP experimental result (iii,vi); (c) SEM micrographs showing a comparison of Grapholita Funebrana moth eyes (i,ii,iii) and LDW via TPP fabricated moth-eye artificial ommatidia (iv,v,vi); (d) Heights of nanopillars on top of ommatidium-like microlens (theoretical values (i.e
set by design) and experimental values (i.e
Laser-imprinted structures fabricated using the specified laser powers and 90 μm/s scan speed
The green rectangles indicate optimized results; (e) 3D images obtained by atomic force microscopy of 8 × 8 µm2 areas of nanopillars from the top of ommatidium-like microlenses
fabricated by LDW via TPP using 90 μm/s scan speed and laser powers indicated on each image
Nanopillar’s height set by design was 500 nm
Experimental values of nanopillar heights are marked on each image
Insets are shown to evidence the nanopillars
The green rectangle is a zoom in to an area where the nanopillar geometry can pe analyzed best
where the geometry and writing velocity are identical for all samples
All previous studies aiming to mimic moths-eyes did not fabricate the whole i.e
meaning the ommatidia-like microstructures decorated with nipple-like nanostructures
all existing studies reported the fabrication of only individual components of the complex structure of moth eyes (i.e
of ommatidia-inspired microstructures but having smooth surfaces and of corneal-nipples-inspired nanopillars but on flat substrates
their optical investigation was performed separately on each of the above individual components
our study is the first time that moth-eyes-inspired structures replicated all the components of moths’ eyes
curved microstructures decorated with nipple-like nanostructures that follow the curvature of the former
Corneal nipples of the natural ommatidium show a compact quasi-periodic arrangement
with an overall circular periodicity and local hexagonal periodicity
The design of the artificial ommatidium is comprised of a base microlens on top of which nanopillars are disposed over the whole surface
Nanopillars are arranged on a spiral trajectory with slowly varying distances between neighboring pillars to account for natural variations
Figure 2c presents a comparison of moth eye ommatidia and artificial ommatidia
Two principal differences can be noted: the curvature of the natural ommatidium is higher and tends to be spherical
while the corneal nipples orientation seems to follow the direction normal to the surface of the ommatidium
albeit with variation in surface smoothness and less degree of periodicity
while the nanopillars are vertical throughout its surface
The radial transverse profile of the nanopillars were determined from the AFM data and plotted in Fig. 2d. Regardless of laser power and design, measured periodicities were very similar for every structure. Small variations in periodicity are observed for the same reasons as heights variation (see Fig. 2e)
nanopillars were fabricated on top of each microlens surface
which itself resembles a quasi-periodic fingerprint-like structure
Apart from these small standard deviations
measured values obtained for mean periodicity of nanopillars were centered on 450 nm
Periodicity of 450 nm for the middle region of the microlens part was the one set by design
whereas the optimization concerned exclusively the heights of the nanopillars
This validates that measurements made on the 3D AFM images were reliable and correct
Using these experimentally-determined values, in Fig. 2d we present nanopillar heights for all three laser powers investigated
set by design) and experimental (AFM measurements) values are comparatively shown
Structures were fabricated using the specified laser powers and 90 μm/s scan speed
The best results in terms of nanopillars morphological aspect were obtained for the lowest laser power i.e
All experimentally determined nanopillar heights were in the range of 200–400 nm
We present 3D images obtained by AFM of nanopillars on the surface of each microlens fabricated by LDW via TPP using 90 μm/s scan speed and laser powers of 9.6 mW, 10.8 mW and 12 mW respectively (see Fig. 2e)
The insets provide a close view of the nanopillars
Figure SI.4 (see Supplementary Information) shows details on the geometric characteristics of optimized structures
where we can observe the shape and size of nanopillars
A radial cross section of the ommatidia-like microlens shows the shape of nanopillars and their height
while nanopillars follow the shape of the surface
Experimental data of the cross-section was filtered using a Savitsky–Golay filter with a sample of 50 points and a second order polynomial
nanopillar heights were measured to be between 200 and 400 nm
It can also be observed that nanopillar heights are lower as their position approaches the margin of the ommatidia-like microlens
determined the overall geometry: a quasi-spiral very close to the center of microlenses due to small distance between consecutive nanopillars
then individual nanopillars around the middle of the radius (where we performed the 2D profiles measurements)
and closely packed nanopillars towards the edge
These different morphologies occurred because the angle determined a greater distance between consecutive nanopillars
while the spiral gradient made the nanopillars to overlap in the radial direction
These structures enabled uniform antireflection properties of about 1% reflectivity as well as superhydrophobic and anticorrosive properties
with λ = 10,000 (strength of smoothing) and d = 2 (default 2nd order smoother)
microlenses are presented with a diameter of ~ 60 μm
each of them being written on a 12 μm tall cylinder / pedestal
The microlens array was fabricated on a CaF2 substrate in order to minimize optical absorption
have measured IR transmittance using a Fourier-Transform InfraRed spectrometer in the wavelength interval between 1 and 10 μm and they reported a transmittance of roughly ~ 48% between 1000 and 1700 nm
report higher IR transmittance in the 1000–1700 nm interval
could be assigned most likely to the transmittance difference of the substrate ~ 10%
while our microlenses are fabricated on fused quartz glass slides)
Optical characterization in IR spectral region
for microlens arrays: (a) transmission spectrum relative to free beam for microlens arrays with nanopillars (red) and without nanopillars (black); (b) reflection spectrum at 20 degrees incidence angle for microlens arrays with nanopillars (red) and without nanopillars (black); (c) optical image taken via 63x microscope objective
of microlens arrays without nanopillars and (e) with nanopillars
a time efficient fabrication method is presented for large area (and in this case curved surface) microlens arrays
but the replication step results in high variations in microlens geometry and their behavior
these variations indicate significant challenges in obtaining reproducible surface nanostructuring
Optical characterization in the Visible spectral range for microlens arrays: (upper panel) transmission spectrum relative to free beam for microlens arrays with nanopillars (red) and without nanopillars (black); (lower panel) reflection spectrum at 20 degrees incidence angle for microlens arrays with nanopillars (red) and without nanopillars (black)
This similitude contributes to the Visible and IR optical performances of the biomimetic microlenses inspired by moth compound eyes that were fabricated in this work
We report on the design and laser-assisted fabrication of moth eye-inspired biomimetic structures
for potential use as microlens arrays in IR detection systems
The biomimetic structures were inspired by Grapholita Funebrana nocturnal moth eyes
our design included ommatidia-like microlenses that were arranged in a closely packed hexagonal pattern and decorated with nipple-like nanopillars
The design and fabrication parameters were optimized to obtain microlens arrays that closely resembled the topology and geometric characteristics of natural moth eyes
The ommatidia-like parts of the biomimetic structures had average diameters of about 13–14 μm
while the nipple-like nanopillars decorating the ommatidia-like microstructures were between 200 and 400 nm in height and around 450 nm periodicity
These dimensions of moth eyes-inspired structures were deviated from the natural ommatidia’s diameters
corneal nipple heights and spatial periodicities
The optical performances of the moth-eyes inspired microlens arrays were investigated in 1000–1700 nm wavelength interval
The optical performances of microlens arrays decorated with nipple-like nanopillars were compared to those of microlens arrays without nanopillars
results indicating superior IR optical performance for the former
the IR optical transmission of microlens arrays with nanopillars was up to 17.55% higher than the optical transmission through microlens arrays without nanopillars; also
the reflection of nanopillar-decorated microlens arrays was up to 0.91% lower than the reflection of microlens arrays without nanopillars
the reflection followed the same trend as for IR region
being higher for microlense arrays with nanopillars than for microlenses arrays without nanopillars
in the Visible range the transmission of nanopillar-decorated microlens arrays was lower than the transmission for microlense arrays without nanopillars
most probably because of optical diffraction losses occurring as the size of the nanopillars i.e
Although the focal distance was the same for both microlens arrays (with and without nanopillars
the nipple-like nanopillars improved the focusing properties of the microlens arrays
their focal spot diameter at 1/e2 was of 7.64 μm
16.5% higher that the focal spot diameter of microlens arrays without nanopillars
Further investigations are required to determine the cause of these optical effects
an envisaged approach is the fine-tuning of the optical behavior of moth-eye-inspired structures by their geometrical scaling
which will allow a precise adjustment of the absorption and transmission peaks
these results open up novel and promising routes for accurate
low cost and easy-to-use 3D printing technologies for producing 3D biomimetic micro- and nanostructures as bioinspired solutions for challenging issues of the modern world
The authors declare that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article
Detailed or unprocessed data are available from the corresponding author
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Neither apposition nor superposition: the compound eyes of the Chestnut Leafminer Cameraria ohridella
Mechanically robust antireflective moth-eye structures with a tailored coating of dielectric materials
A diurnal moth superposition eye with high resolution Phalaenoides Tristifica (Agaristidae)
The eye of the parthenogenetic and minute moth ectoedemia argyropeza (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae)
Fine structure of the compound eyes of the crepuscular moth Grapholita molesta (Busck 1916) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)
Biomimetic moth-eye anti-reflective poly-(methyl methacrylate) nanostructural coating
Spectroscopic and hydrodynamic characterisation of DNA-linked gold nanoparticle dimers in solution using two‐photon photoluminescence
Rapid fabrication of microlens arrays on PMMA substrate using a microlens array by rear-side picosecond laser swelling
Fabrication of ZnSe microlens array for a wide infrared spectral region
Polarisation control in arrays of microlenses and gratings: performance in visible–IR spectral ranges
Multiplex plasmonic anti-counterfeiting security labels based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering
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The authors thank Antoniu Moldovan for raw data on AFM measurements
The authors thank Gheorghe Calin for providing access to plum orchard and consulting us regarding catching Grapholita Funebrana moths.PIA and BSC acknowledge financial support from National Interest Infrastructure facility IOSIN-CETAL at INFLPR
A part of this work was supported by Romanian Ministry of Research
Innovation and Digitalization under Romanian National Core Program (Nucleu Program Contract nr
This work was supported by a grant of the Ministry of Research
project number PED PN-IV-P7-7.1-PED-2024-1252
This work has been supported by IOSIN-CETAL
Center for Advanced Laser Technologies (CETAL)
Bogdan Stefanita Calin & Irina Alexandra Paun
National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest
Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering IFIN-HH
wrote all design and data processing software; B.S.C
did formal analysis of experimental data; I.A.P
The authors declare no competing interests
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
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"This is one of P&G's most advanced plants in the world
in terms of both technology and sustainability" McDonald said
The plant has four production lines and employs 250 people
Some 90 percent of its production will be exported to countries in the region but also to Russia and Turkey
The company already owns a detergent plant in Timsoara in which it has invested 40 million dollars
"we had a very good start in the 2010 fiscal year
in line with expectations," Sotirios Marinidis
when the Romanian economy shrank by 7.1 percent
"This plant is an example in terms of water and waste treatment," environment minister Laszlo Borbely said
"The opening of the P&G factory shows foreign investors still have confidence in Romania," president Traian Basescu stressed
Procter & Gamble inaugurates a new manufacturing site in Urlati
The new plant will produce Ariel PODS which is the company’s latest laundry detergent innovation
By exporting Ariel PODS in many European countries
this greenfield investment is strengthening Romania as a production hub for P&G
Over 200 new jobs will be created while the new plant will introduce modern manufacturing solutions in detergent production
“Today we mark an important milestone of P&G presence in Romania
We celebrate the inauguration of our PODS production facility in Urlați
the successful track-record of P&G in the local market and
We would also like to acknowledge the strong partnership with local authorities which has enabled this investment to happen proving once again that when Governments
local communities and businesses join forces
great things happen for all – the people who we serve and the communities in which we live and operate,” said Antoine Brun
Managing Director P&G for South-Eastern Europe
The new manufacturing facility strengthens P&G’s footprint in Romania which today consists of a Hair Care plant in Urlați
the GO of the SEE cluster & regional service center in Bucharest and the Logistics center in Timisoara
Over1000 P&G employees work in these sites every day to serve the men and women who trust the P&G brands to care for their families and homes
Ploiesti being the capital of all oil-related activities in Romania and one of the most important centers of petrochemical technology
With the help of Prahova Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIPH) and its President Aurelian Gogulescu
we have conducted an analysis of Prahova economy
with a focus on the advantages attracting companies in this area
Currently, 4 refineries operate in Romania – Petrobrazi, Vega, Petrotel-Lukoil and Petromidia, of which the first 3 are within the municipality of Ploiesti. Also, the Petroleum-Gas University
the only one with this profile in South-Eastern Europe
In Prahova there are 24,250 active companies registered with the Trade Register
most of them (41.14%) activating in the industrial sector
The surface of the county is 4,716 km2 (2% of the country’s surface)
which leads to a density of 169 inhabitants/km2
Prahova having 2 cities (Ploiesti and Campina)
The oil industry accounts for 22% of the economic activity of the county and 65% of the turnover of the industrial sector
The 772 companies in the field have a total turnover of RON 11.9 billion (EUR 2.53 billion)
obtained with the 15,000 employees (10% of the employees of companies)
According to the President of Prahova Chamber of Commerce and Industry
“Prahova ranked among the top three counties at national level in terms of value of the Gross Domestic Product
our county is among the top 10 counties of Romania in terms of contribution to national export
even if not at the same level as in the past years
at a time when the issue of energy security at national
European and global level overlaps an economic and financial situation that many characterize as being on the verge of a new crisis”
In a ranking of the counties of Romania according to the value of the Gross Domestic Product
Prahova is the third county after Constanta and Cluj
“Another important challenge is the labour force crisis
CCI Prahova has organized in the last two years a number of actions to identify solutions
together with all the factors involved or the impacted companies
The immediate solution to diminish the effects of this crisis is import of workforce
to which many Prahova-based companies have already resorted,” Aurelian Gogulescu explains
The main arguments that attract foreign investors in the oil industry in Prahova County are:
In Prahova there are 5 industrial parks with public administration: Ploiesti Industrial Park (with 4 locations – Ploiesti
Barcanesti Industrial Park (Administrator: Prahova County Council)
Prahova Industrial Park (Administrator: Valenii de Munte Local Council) and 5 industrial parks with private administration: Allianso Business Park
the exports made by the companies from Prahova County totaled EUR 2.43 billion
which represents 3.5% of Romania’s exports (EUR 67.73 billion)
accounting for 4.6% of Romania’s import (EUR 82.86 billion)
The main partners of Prahova County for the export activity were: Italy (19%)
the United Kingdom (6.2%) and the Republic of Moldova (4.7%)
The main products and services exported by Prahova-based oil companies were: oil
drilling equipment: offshore and onshore; valves
Other chemicals and petrochemicals were exported – car LPG
meta-bisulphite in the Republic of Moldova
Other export benchmarks are: heavy bearings (India
engineering services in the oil and gas industry – design
technical studies in the field of oil and natural gas
All of the above make us believe that the oil industry has a good future in Romania
and Prahova will continue to be ‘the Capital of black gold’
Genesis Property expands the partnership started in 2018 with “Ana and the Children” Association and announces the support of 10 children
part of the “take a child into care” campaign
the rehabilitation of the center in Urlati
held in the business parks in the Genesis Property portfolio
The company supports 10 children from the association
as part of the “take care of a child” campaign
with a number of 20 children from the Ana and the Children Day Center – Bucharest
the initiative expands to 200 children who need help every day
Genesis Property volunteers have also rehabilitated the Community Center in Urlati
which benefits not only the over 50 children who attend it daily but also the micro-community formed around it
Several improvements were made during this action
such as the pouring of three concrete platforms and the distribution of 26 tons of gravel in the yard
and several pieces of furniture and exterior decor were painted
Yesterday, on May 30th, 35 of the little ones had a special day inside West Gate, with activities and performances dedicated to them, lots of surprises and an atmosphere meant to ensure the joy they deserve around Children’s Day.
The partnership between Genesis Property and “Ana and the Children” Association also included an educational action
during which a talented group of children accumulated knowledge about a durable future
The actions contribute to eight of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals part of the UN 2030 Agenda (No poverty, Zero hunger, Quality education, Reduced inequalities, Sustainable cities and communities, Responsible consumption and production, Climate action and Partnerships for the goals), to which Genesis Property’s entire sustainability strategy is aligned.
Genesis Property is also the first real estate group in the country to become a signatory and supporter of the promotion of the 10 Principles of the United Nations Global Compact regarding human rights
the fight against climate change and environmental protection
The company is currently developing the YUNITY Park business project in alignment with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and will operate it in such a way as to contribute to both the significant improvement of the environment and the increase of the quality of life of the entire community
in accordance with the company’s commitment to reduce its carbon emissions to net zero by 2040 through reuse
investment in renewable energy production and sustainable building management
“Ana and the Children” Association is a humanitarian
apolitical and non-profit organization whose mission is to prevent family and school abandonment
social awareness measures and the establishment of social services
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The Dealu Mare in Prahova and Buzau county wine region is aimed to become one of Romania’s top destinations for cycling tourism
A pilot project has been launched by Carpathian Tourism Cluster Romania
a network which promotes tourism in the area of the Carpathian Mountains
The new Dealu Mare Cycling Route passes through some of the most of the Dealu Mare region
offering to tourists the possibility of discovering Romanian culinary and wine tradition
Starting from Ghighiu and ending at Ciolanu Monastery
the route runs through the most important vineyards at Seciu
There are wine tasting opportunities at several Dealu Mare wine cellars
Historical sites (Thracian graves at Naeni
traditional art museums (Bellu mansion in Urlati)
oak forests (Plopu) and spas (salt water at Sarata Monteoru) are also important points of attraction for tourists
The Dealu Mare Cycling Route is 140 km long and it can be covered in five days by people at intermediate level
considering the terrain is hilly and flat as well
The Dealu Mare Cycling Route is a pilot project and part of the cycling tourism development strategy of Carpathian Tourism Cluster Romania
which wants to develop and promote sustainable cycling tourism in the Carpathian Mountains area
Partners of the project are Cycling Romania
the tourism development association of Buzau
and several municipalities in the Dealu Mare region
the mall developed by Carrefour Property and New Europe Property Investments (NEPI) near Ploiesti
has attracted some 5 million visitors and has generated over EUR 25 million in sales in the first year after the opening
The project was built close to the National Road 1 (DN1) which connects Bucharest to the Prahova Valley, by extending the already existing Carrefour hypermarket in Ploiesti. It has a gross leasable area of 55,000 sqm. Some of the tenants in the mall are Cinema City, Zara, H&M, Pull&Bear, Bershka, Stradivarius, New Yorker, Orsay, Reserved, Office Shoes, Benvenuti, Sephora and Douglas.
NEPI and Carrefour Property – the real estate division of the French Carrefour Group say the mall has a catchment area of 700,000 inhabitants from Ploiesti and several neighboring towns like Targoviste
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