ABSTRACT
Filamentary tendrils existing in climbing plants, such as in Bryonia alba, Clematis vitalba, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Vicia spp., and Lathyrus spp., present striking helical shapes. Spirals and helices with different handedness are observed depending on whether they are attached at one or both ends, respectively. If tendrils attach at both ends, segments that connect helices with opposite handedness, known as perversions, occur. Beyond the beauty of these shapes, the "smart" mechanical adaptation of the tendrils allows contending adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, mechanisms that lead plants to modify their shape are of great interest for the different fields of materials science. Of particular interest are non-woven responsive membranes for water and oil collection. Inspired by the shapes of tendrils, different methods were used to shape macro, micro, and nanofilaments. Instead of assuming that chiral molecular structures are at the geneses of the helices observed in tendrils, it is presented, mathematically and experimentally, that not only helices with different curvatures and handedness but also perversions precisely designed on demand can be obtained by playing with the symmetry and topology of the filaments.
