Synthetic moth antennae fabricated as preconcentrator for odor collection

Moths do not employ any of the techniques modern preconcentrators use to extract odors from the air yet they are able to sense pheromone particles in concentrations of parts per billion. Their odor grabbing abilities originate from the complex structure of their antennae; however, this unique anatomical structure has never been replicated to scale. We analyze natural moth olfaction systems to find commonalities in the antennae across species. We create 1:1 scale antennae mimics that contains these commonalities and overcome the unique fabrication challenges of the small scale and hierarchical nature of the antennae using nanoscale 3D printing. The comparative biology and fabrication techniques from this study may inspire ideas for fabricating improved filters and chemical sensors.