Disordered Structures in Biology Can Provide Material Properties not Obtained with Precise Hierarchy
Abstract
Biological organisms exist in an astounding array of habitats. The materials produced by these organisms correspondingly exhibit significant diversity in function and form. Highly ordered and structured biological materials have been the subject of intense scientific investigation, especially in the context of exploring possible models for functional materials. Biological materials lacking in organized structure, on the other hand, such as barnacle exoskeletons, have largely been ignored. Here disordered biological materials falling into four different classes are discussed: soft and organic, hard and organic, soft and a composite of organic and inorganic, and hard and a composite of organic and inorganic. Across the examples within each class of materials one can see disorder at different length scales providing increases in fracture resistance or flexibility, suggesting disordered biological materials have much to teach us in terms of materials design.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Dec 02, 2018
- Source ID
- 10.1002/adfm.201805734
Entities
People
- Francois Barthelat
- Jonathan J Wilker
- Rebecca A Metzler
Organizations
- Colgate University
- McGill University
- Office of Naval Research
- Purdue University