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Hierarchically structured bioinspired nanocomposites

Nature Materials volume 22, pages 18–35 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Next-generation structural materials are expected to be lightweight, high-strength and tough composites with embedded functionalities to sense, adapt, self-repair, morph and restore. This Review highlights recent developments and concepts in bioinspired nanocomposites, emphasizing tailoring of the architecture, interphases and confinement to achieve dynamic and synergetic responses. We highlight cornerstone examples from natural materials with unique mechanical property combinations based on relatively simple building blocks produced in aqueous environments under ambient conditions. A particular focus is on structural hierarchies across multiple length scales to achieve multifunctionality and robustness. We further discuss recent advances, trends and emerging opportunities for combining biological and synthetic components, state-of-the-art characterization and modelling approaches to assess the physical principles underlying nature-inspired design and mechanical responses at multiple length scales. These multidisciplinary approaches promote the synergetic enhancement of individual materials properties and an improved predictive and prescriptive design of the next era of structural materials at multilength scales for a wide range of applications.

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Fig. 1: Keratin-based hierarchical structures in different animal species.
Fig. 2: Hierarchical bioinspired composite designs in terms of space and time, and major contributions in mechanical functionality.
Fig. 3: Fibre-based composites.
Fig. 4: Analysis of the mechanical properties of various composites and comparison with natural and traditional materials classes.
Fig. 5: Insights into the function and mechanics of bioinspired composites by modelling and simulation.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge support from multiple sources: D.N., the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFSOR), 18RXCOR060 and 22RXCOR014; K.D., ONR, N00014-18-1-2528; M.R.B., AFOSR, FA8650-19-2-5209; M.J.B., AFOSR, FATE MURI FA9550-15-1-0514; L.C.H., Office of Naval Research Global, N62909-18-1-2024; S.Keten, PECASE Award ONR, N00014-16-1-3175; G.C.S., Center for Bio-Inspired Energy Sciences (CBES), an Energy Frontiers Research Center (EFRC), under DE-SC0000989; V.V.T., Air Force Research Laboratory, FA8650-16-D-5404, AFOSR, FA9550-20-1-0305 and NSF-ECCS 2203806; L.C.B., AFOSR, FA9550-18-1-0381; J.A.E., NSF Career Award, CMMI 1454072; P.V.C., Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, EP/R029598/1; H.H., NSF CMMI 1940335, NSF OAC 1931587, and NASA Space Technology Research Institute, STRI-NNX17AJ32G.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, USA

    Dhriti Nepal

  2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Saewon Kang, Katarina M. Adstedt & Vladimir V. Tsukruk

  3. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

    Krishan Kanhaiya & Hendrik Heinz

  4. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Michael R. Bockstaller

  5. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    L. Catherine Brinson

  6. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Markus J. Buehler

  7. Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, UK

    Peter V. Coveney

  8. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Kaushik Dayal

  9. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Jaafar A. El-Awady

  10. Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia

    Luke C. Henderson

  11. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA

    David L. Kaplan

  12. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Sinan Keten

  13. Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Nicholas A. Kotov

  14. Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    George C. Schatz

  15. Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Silvia Vignolini

  16. Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Fritz Vollrath

  17. Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Yusu Wang

  18. Department of Materials Science and Nanoengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

    Boris I. Yakobson

  19. Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

    Boris I. Yakobson

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  1. Dhriti Nepal
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  20. Vladimir V. Tsukruk
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  21. Hendrik Heinz
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Dhriti Nepal, Vladimir V. Tsukruk or Hendrik Heinz.

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Nepal, D., Kang, S., Adstedt, K.M. et al. Hierarchically structured bioinspired nanocomposites. Nat. Mater. 22, 18–35 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-022-01384-1

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