Morphology and mechanical properties of the dorsal bony plates in the Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis)

Abstract

The morphology, composition, and mechanical properties of the dorsal bony plates in the Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) were determined in this study. Scanning electron microscopy images of the bony plates revealed a ridge-like shape similar to that of traditional Chinese architecture and displayed hierarchical microstructures whose the degree of mineralization decreased from the surface layer to the internal layer. Moreover, the crests in the central part of the bony plates displayed porous characteristics. Composition analysis of the bony plates revealed that they were primarily composed of Ca, P, O, and C, demonstrating that hydroxyapatite was the main constituent. Mechanical experiments including nanoindentation, penetration, and tension tests confirmed that the bony plates have excellent mechanical properties and present high specific tensile strength that is comparable to that of 304 stainless steel. This study may provide a new bionic design template for lightweight and high-strength body armor. K E Y W O R D S bionic, bony plates, flexible armor, mechanical properties, microstructure

The Armor of the Chinese Sturgeon: A Study of the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of the Ventral Bony Plates

“…Figure 2 presents the morphological characteristics of the Chinese sturgeon and the structural morphology of its ventral bony plates. It should be noted that the ventral bony plates are covered by the fish skin epidermis [ 28 ]. The arrangement characteristics of the ventral bony plates were observed under ultraviolet light ( Figure 2 c), and the results revealed that the bony plates exhibited a ridge-like shape.…”

Mechanical test and friction‐mapping on recycled polypropylene beads using atomic force microscopy

“…Developed to characterize the mechanical properties of non‐homogeneous, or nanostructured materials at the nanoscale (Wornyo, Gall, Yang, & King, 2007), the nanoindentation technique has been widely used for the measurement of the material properties of polymers (Dominguez et al, 2012; Salerno, Dante, Patra, & Diaspro, 2010; Samadi‐Dooki, Malekmotiei, & Voyiadjis, 2016), ceramics (Gao & Mäder, 2002), biological samples (Chen, Cui, & Chen, 2021; X. Li & Guo, 2019; Oyen, 2015; Sarialioglu Gungor & Donmez, 2021; Yang et al, 2019; Zheng, Guo, Li, & Ma, 2019), metallic alloys (L. Li, Guo, Xu, Li, & Han, 2017; X. Zhou, Jiang, Wang, & Yu, 2008), natural products (Kawasaki et al, 2017; Torres‐Torres, Torres, & García‐García, 2019), and composites (Nagasaki, Ishikawa, Ito, Saito, & Iijima, 2021; Young, Crocker, Broughton, Ogin, & Smith, 2013). Following the use of the method proposed by Oliver and Pharr (Oliver, 1992) for viscoelastic behavior, nanoindentation tests have been applied for the mechanical tests and characterization of single fibers (Wang et al, 2014; Yu, Wang, Lu, Tian, & Lin, 2014), polymer thin‐films (Ago, Jakes, & Rojas, 2013; Francius et al, 2006; Morozov, 2021; Park, Frihart, Yu, & Singh, 2013; Vlad‐Cristea, Riedl, Blanchet, & Jimenez‐Pique, 2012), and multi‐phase composite materials (Hardiman, Vaughan, & McCarthy, 2015; Lee, Wang, Pharr, & Xu, 2007; Loubet, Oliver, & Lucas, 2000; Rodríguez, Garrido‐Maneiro, Poza, & Gómez‐del Río, 2006).…”

“…Developed to characterize the mechanical properties of nonhomogeneous, or nanostructured materials at the nanoscale (Wornyo, Gall, Yang, & King, 2007), the nanoindentation technique has been widely used for the measurement of the material properties of polymers (Dominguez et al, 2012;Salerno, Dante, Patra, & Diaspro, 2010; Samadi-Dooki, Malekmotiei, & Voyiadjis, 2016), ceramics (Gao & Mäder, 2002), biological samples (Chen, Cui, & Chen, 2021; X. Oyen, 2015;Sarialioglu Gungor & Donmez, 2021;Yang et al, 2019;Zheng, Guo, Li, & Ma, 2019), metallic alloys (L. Li, Guo, Xu, Li, & Han, 2017;X. Zhou, Jiang, Wang, & Yu, 2008), natural products (Kawasaki et al, 2017;Torres-Torres, Torres, & García-García, 2019), and composites (Nagasaki, Ishikawa, Ito, Saito, & Iijima, 2021;Young, Crocker, Broughton, Ogin, & Smith, 2013).…”

Unique morphology and mechanical property of Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) fish skin

“…As a benthic and long-distance migratory fish, Chinese sturgeon has a long life span (almost 40 years) [22][23][24]. The sturgeon often suffers many threats in its migration journey such as predator attacks, mistakenly caught by fishermen or collision with fishing boats [22,25]. However, unlike the majority of other fish species, most parts of the sturgeon fish skin are not covered by bony scales.…”