About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Biological Materials Science
|
| Presentation Title |
Thermal Resilience in Hydrothermal Vent Crabs: Insights from Exoskeletal Mechanics |
| Author(s) |
Boongho Cho, Boxun Zhang, Zijing Zhang, Zhihua Liang, Taewon Kim, Da-In Kim, Haimin Yao |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Boongho Cho |
| Abstract Scope |
Hydrothermal vent crabs (Austinograea sp.) thrive in deep-sea environments where vent fluids exceed 400 °C, subjecting them to extreme thermal stress. To investigate their thermal protection mechanisms, we analyzed the mechanical and structural responses of their exoskeletons to heating. Both holistic (intact) and partitioned exoskeleton samples were subjected to simulated thermal stress (e.g., 78°C for 30 seconds or 15 minutes) and characterized using nanoindentation, SEM, micro-CT, and EDX. While heating reduced mechanical performance in all samples, holistic exoskeletons exhibited significantly less degradation, suggesting that structural integrity—particularly of the outer epicuticle, an organic-inorganic composite (~60% organic content)—is critical for thermal protection. In contrast, the coastal crab Ocypode stimpsoni showed no measurable mechanical changes under identical conditions, underscoring the vent crab’s specialized adaptations. These results provide new insights into biologically evolved thermal resilience and may inspire the design of biomimetic heat-resistant materials. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |