Tuning protecto‐flexibility in nature: Case of the fish scale

Abstract

Fish scales are among the structural materials in nature that are inspiring the design and development of "next-generation" engineering materials. Fish scales possess a mineralization gradient that divides their thickness into three unique regions, each containing characteristic structures and properties. Here, experiments and complementary numerical modeling are performed to understand the importance of the different geometrical and mechanical parameters affecting the structural behavior of fish scales. Numerical modeling results showed that the stiffness and work to fracture of the scales in flexure are dependent on the amplitude and wavelength of the limiting layer profile. Furthermore, the mechanical response in bending of the scales can be effectively tuned by the suture profile location within the limiting layer thickness. These results highlight the opportunity to tailor the mechanical response of flexible composite laminates through the architecture of the layers and their interfaces to effectively control the protecto-flexibility.

Fish scale containing alginate dialdehyde-gelatin bioink for bone tissue engineering

“…As a relatively new biological derived material for TE and regenerative medicine, FS is a biocompatible and bioactive material and presents several advantages for bone TE applications [34,35]. Similar to bone tissue, FS is composed of type I collagen and hydroxyapatite exhibiting a highly ordered 3D structure [36][37][38]. The distinctive arrangement of collagen fibrils layer by layer forms 3D micro-channels in different directions.…”