| Abstract Scope |
Many biological structural materials are highly mineralized in order to achieve their desired mechanical functions. Through the exquisite hierarchical structural organizations of the mineral building blocks together with a few percent of organic materials, these composite materials can often achieve remarkable mechanical properties, such as high strength and toughness, despite the intrinsic brittleness of the mineral constituents. In addition, the material systems can be tailored to achieve non-mechanical functions, including vision, photonic coloration, low-density, etc. Investigation of the structure-(multi-)property relationship of biomineralized composites holds important potential for guiding the development of novel multifunctional structural materials. In this talk, I will discuss our recent works in this area through a number of model systems, including mollusk shells, echinoderms, and fish teeth. I will particularly focus on their nanoscale composite designs and intrinsic mechanical properties, where these natural systems display complex structural controls that are difficult to achieve in synthetic materials. |