Ille C. Gebeshuber1,2,3, Herbert Stachelberger3,4 and Burhanuddin Yeop Majlis1

1 Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics (IMEN), 43600 UKM, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
2 Institut f"ur Allgemeine Physik AC2T research GmbH, Technische Universit"at Wien, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 8-10/134, 1040 Wien, Austria
3 TU BIONIK, Center of Excellence Bionik / Biomimetics, Technische Universit"at Wien, Getreidemarkt 9/166, 1060 Wien, Austria
4 Institute of Chemical Engineering & University Service-Center for Transmission Electron Microscopy, Getreidemarkt 9/166, 1060 Wien, Austria

For MEMS and NEMS technologies, macroscopic best practice in terms of, for example, lubrication and surface topography cannot be scaled down linearly. Effects of adhesion, stiction and contamination by third bodies, which are swamped by bulk continuum phenomena at the macroscale, become dominant at the micrometer length scale. Currently, the MEMS and NEMS industry puts great effort into investigating tribology on the micro- and nanometre scale. Novel three dimensional MEMS such as piezoelectric inkjet printer parts, accelerometers in cars for airbag deployment in collisions, gyroscopes used in modern cars to trigger dynamic stability control, disposable blood pressure sensors, or the several hundred thousands of digital micromirrors in a beamer would exhibit increased performance as soon as their tribology were optimized.
Diatoms are single-celled organisms that generally multiply by cell division. One of the best-known properties of the diatom cell is that it is contained in a shell of amorphous hydrated silica, SiO2 . 2 H2O. It is known from the fossil record that colony formation by means of rigid linking structures in relative motion has a long history in the diatoms: there are impressive examples of sister valves remaining attached through linking structures in fossil deposits as many as 50 million years old. Diatoms already have well adapted and elaborate tribological properties on the micro- and nanometer length scale and, therefore, can provide valuable ideas and templates for optimized MEMS and NEMS.
The BioScreen project analyses the rich flora in South East Asia concerning its biomimetic inspirational potential for technological applications. A central aspect in the implementation of the project is the cooperation between institutions in the European Union with local institutions in South East Asia. Increasing awareness about the technological innovation potential of the rainforest and its abundance of species might cause a paradigm shift in the way locals view virgin forests. BioScreen is a pilot project with one major task: the installation of collaborations between key institutions that shall then serve as base for further projects.
In course of the BioScreen Project, diatoms and further organisms that are present in impressive species abundance in the tropical rainforest are thoroughly screened for their innovational potential for novel 3D MEMS. First results of the screening study will be presented.