Bioinspired Design and Assembly of Platelet Reinforced Polymer Films

Abstract

Although strong and stiff human-made composites have long been developed, the microstructure of today's most advanced composites has yet to achieve the order and sophisticated hierarchy of hybrid materials built up by living organisms in nature. Clay-based nanocomposites with layered structure can reach notable stiffness and strength, but these properties are usually not accompanied by the ductility and flaw tolerance found in the structures generated by natural hybrid materials. By using principles found in natural composites, we showed that layered hybrid films combining high tensile strength and ductile behavior can be obtained through the bottom-up colloidal assembly of strong submicrometer-thick ceramic platelets within a ductile polymer matrix.

Self-shaping composites with programmable bioinspired microstructures

“…In addition to the good agreement between experimental points and Equation (1), the range of n values obtained compares well with the increase in elastic modulus of the polymer matrix upon platelet addition seen in previous studies. The reinforcement factor n typically lies within the range 1.3-3.0 for composites containing the volume fraction of platelets of 7.5 vol% used in these experiments 24,25 .…”

3D Printing of Lotus Root‐Like Biomimetic Materials for Cell Delivery and Tissue Regeneration

“…By imitating the specific hierarchical structures and synthetic process of the corresponding organisms from nanoscale to microscale, scientists have synthesized various materials with special structures and novel properties,1, 2, 3, 4, 5 such as ultrastrong and stiff layered composites inspired by nacre,6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 high adhesion materials,13, 14 and other special biomimetic materials 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. Taking advantage of the wisdom of natural organisms, smart materials with improved properties have been prepared and used in many fields.…”

Direct measurements of non-ionic attraction and nanoscaled lubrication in biomimetic composites from nanofibrillated cellulose and modified carboxymethylated cellulose

“…Since it is challenging to achieve both high Young's modulus and toughness in man-made composites, many groups have turned to nature for inspiration. [1][2][3][4][5] In nature, the hierarchical structure of biological nanocomposites achieves the desired mechanical properties and 30 complex biological functions in a synergistic manner. 6 More specifically these biocomposites have a common design principle of hierarchical self-assembly of a high weight fraction of reinforcing nano-scaled domains promoting stiffness, and a small weight fraction of soft, organic domain enabling energy 35 dissipation and suppressing catastrophic crack propagation.…”