For millions of years, marine animals have grown incredibly strong and complex shells that protect them from harsh ocean environments.
These shells, like the shimmering nacre found in seashells, are made of multiple layers that work together to absorb and distribute physical stress.
Inspired by nature’s design, engineers have now created a synthetic material that mimics the layered structure of seashells to enhance energy absorption in products like car bumpers and wearable bandages.
The research, led by Professor Shelly Zhang from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Professor Ole Sigmund from the Technical University of Denmark, goes beyond traditional reverse engineering of natural materials.
While many past studies have tried to copy the strength and resilience of materials like bone and wood, Zhang and Sigmund wanted to take things further.
They aimed to develop a framework for programmable multilayered materials that could respond intelligently to physical impacts.
Their findings were recently published in the journal Science Advances.
According to Zhang, the project began with a discussion with her collaborator, Professor Sigmund, about the limitations of single materials.
Even with advanced programming, individual materials can only handle so much physical stress before breaking.
This challenge sparked the idea of creating multilayered synthetic materials that could respond to impacts in a way that mimics the natural defenses seen in seashells.
Zhang explained that materials with many layers can distribute stress more effectively, potentially making things like car bumpers much safer during collisions.
The team didn’t just stop at mimicking the structure of seashells. They wanted the individual layers of their synthetic material to work together, almost like a team, to create a stronger and more adaptable response to physical stress.
This meant programming each layer to have specific properties and behaviors that contribute to the overall strength and flexibility of the material. Zhang said their new design method expands on existing technologies by optimizing not only the layers themselves but also how they interact with each other.
Creating the material wasn’t without challenges. Zhang noted that the perfect material design they imagined theoretically is hard to replicate exactly in the real world.
When they began fabricating it, they found that the material’s behavior differed slightly from their original designs. However, instead of seeing this as a setback, the team found it valuable. By studying these differences, they learned how to fine-tune their programming to make the material even more effective.
Scaling up this new material for widespread use is still a work in progress, but Zhang remains optimistic. She believes that just as people can achieve more by working together, materials can also become stronger and more effective when designed to cooperate internally.
This breakthrough in seashell-inspired material design could soon lead to safer cars, stronger buildings, and even smarter medical devices.
Source: UIUC.
