Fig. 1 ∣. Chemistry of bioinspired and biomimetic polymers and their biobased mimics.

Sources of inspiration can be obtained from organisms and natural biomaterials. Improved technologies enable us to better understand biomolecular function so we can develop bioinspired materials. For example, the outstanding mechanical properties of spider silk are due to the combined effects of separate crystalline and hydrogen-bonded amorphous regions of the matrix²²⁶. Biobased chemicals and polymers are increasingly available for creative material development²²⁷. The sustainable biomimetic and bioinspired materials described in this Review are categorized as mechanically robust materials (including resilin mimics and spider silk mimics), mechanically and optically adaptive polymers, self-healable materials and antimicrobial polymers.