News, Starfish skeleton inspires strong, lightweight ceramics

Investigating the complex and highly ordered mineralized skeletal system of the knobby starfish, a team of U.S. National Science Foundation discovered an unexpected combination of characteristics that may lead to developing an entirely new class of high-performance lightweight ceramic composites.

The team examined ossicles, calcareous skeletal elements from the skeletons of knobby starfish and discovered they each consist of a dual-scale microlattice with both atomic-level calcite and micro-level diamond-triply periodic minimal surface, as well as gradients in composition and atomic level defects. These combined features enhance the damage tolerance of the ossicles under compression, giving the starfish remarkable specific energy absorption capabilities. In addition, the starfish appear to be capable of thickening branches along selected directions and regions, as well as modifying the regular lattice pattern of its design, improving mechanical performance and preventing fracture expansions.

“Nature is able to assemble mineral precursors to form complex architectures at room temperature and ambient pressure,” Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Ling Li said. “That is something that modern human technology cannot currently achieve. Virginia Tech has a strong research interest in mineral structures found in nature, and I am hopeful that this exciting research direction may one day lead to the development of a wide range of bio-inspired, stronger, and more lightweight materials.”

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