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Skeleton of Euplectella sp.: Structural Hierarchy from the Nanoscale to the Macroscale
Joanna Aizenberg,1*James C. Weaver,2Monica S. Thanawala,1Vikram C. Sundar,1Daniel E. Morse,2Peter Fratzl3
Structural materials in nature exhibit remarkable designs withbuilding blocks, often hierarchically arranged from the nanometerto the macroscopic length scales. We report on the structuralproperties of biosilica observed in the hexactinellid spongeEuplectella sp. Consolidated, nanometer-scaled silica spheresare arranged in well-defined microscopic concentric rings gluedtogether by organic matrix to form laminated spicules. The assemblyof these spicules into bundles, effected by the laminated silica-basedcement, results in the formation of a macroscopic cylindricalsquare-lattice cagelike structure reinforced by diagonal ridges.The ensuing design overcomes the brittleness of its constituentmaterial, glass, and shows outstanding mechanical rigidity andstability. The mechanical benefits of each of seven identifiedhierarchical levels and their comparison with common mechanicalengineering strategies are discussed.
1 Bell Laboratories/Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, NJ 07974, USA. 2 Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies and Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA. 3 Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, D-14424 Potsdam, Germany.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jaizenberg{at}lucent.com
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[DOI: 10.1126/science.1113954] |Summary »|Full Text »|PDF »
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