Structure and Mechanical Properties of a Pteropod Shell Consisting of Interlocked Helical Aragonite Nanofibers

The role of mural mechanics on cephalopod palaeoecology

Cephalopods transformed the molluscan shell into a buoyancy device that must be strong enough to resist external water pressure. Historically, unique features of the shell have been interpreted on the basis that the strength of the shell presents a hard limit on maximum habitat depth. One such feature is the mural flap, which is a semi-prismatic layer deposited on the inner surface of some coleoid septa that has been suggested to strengthen the shell and permit colonization of deeper waters. We test this hypothesis by constructing finite-element models that show how mural modifications affect the response of the shell to hydrostatic pressure. The mural flaps are found to have no notable structural function. Another mural modification discovered here is the adapical ridge flap that initially seemed to have a potential function in shifting peak stress away from the attachment site of the septum; however, the irregular distribution of this feature casts any functional interpretation in doubt. Ecological separation of belemnites and decabrachians is likely not mediated by the presence/absence of mural flaps. This work illustrates a potential caveat that not all unique septal features formed in response to increasing hydrostatic pressure and deeper habitats.

On the relationship between indentation hardness and modulus, and the damage resistance of biological materials

The remarkable mechanical performance of biological materials is based on intricate structure-function relationships. Nanoindentation has become the primary tool for characterising biological materials, as it allows to relate structural changes to variations in mechanical properties on small scales. However, the respective theoretical background and associated interpretation of the parameters measured via indentation derives largely from research on 'traditional' engineering materials such as metals or ceramics. Here, we discuss the functional relevance of indentation hardness in biological materials by presenting a meta-analysis of its relationship with indentation modulus. Across seven orders of magnitude, indentation hardness was directly proportional to indentation modulus. Using a lumped parameter model to deconvolute indentation hardness into components arising from reversible and irreversible deformation, we establish criteria which allow to interpret differences in indentation hardness across or within biological materials. The ratio between hardness and modulus arises as a key parameter, which is related to the ratio between irreversible and reversible deformation during indentation, the material's yield strength, and the resistance to irreversible deformation, a material property which represents the energy required to create a unit volume of purely irreversible deformation. Indentation hardness generally increases upon material dehydration, however to a larger extent than expected from accompanying changes in indentation modulus, indicating that water acts as a 'plasticiser'. A detailed discussion of the role of indentation hardness, modulus and toughness in damage control during sharp or blunt indentation yields comprehensive guidelines for a performance-based ranking of biological materials, and suggests that quasi-plastic deformation is a frequent yet poorly understood damage mode, highlighting an important area of future research.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Instrumented indentation is a widespread tool for characterising the mechanical properties of biological materials. Here, we show that the ratio between indentation hardness and modulus is approximately constant in biological materials. A simple elastic-plastic series deformation model is employed to rationalise part of this correlation, and criteria for a meaningful comparison of indentation hardness across biological materials are proposed. The ratio between indentation hardness and modulus emerges as the key parameter characterising the relative amount of irreversible deformation during indentation. Despite their comparatively high hardness to modulus ratio, biological materials are susceptible to quasiplastic deformation, due to their high toughness: quasi-plastic deformation is hence hypothesised to be a frequent yet poorly understood phenomenon, highlighting an important area of future research.

Mechanical properties of crossed-lamellar structures in biological shells: A review

The self-fabrication of materials in nature offers an alternate and powerful solution towards the grand challenge of designing advanced structural materials, where strength and toughness are always mutually exclusive. Crossed-lamellar structures are the most common microstructures in mollusks that are composed of aragonites and a small amount of organic materials. Such a distinctive composite structure has a fracture toughness being much higher than that of pure carbonate mineral. These structures exhibiting complex hierarchical microarchitectures that span several sub-level lamellae from microscale down to nanoscale, can be grouped into two types, i.e., platelet-like and fiber-like crossed-lamellar structures based on the shapes of basic building blocks. It has been demonstrated that these structures have a great potential to strengthen themselves during deformation. The observed underlying toughening mechanisms include microcracking, channel cracking, interlocking, uncracked-ligament bridging, aragonite fiber bridging, crack deflection and zig-zag, etc., which play vital roles in enhancing the fracture resistance of shells with the crossed-lamellar structures. The exploration and utilization of these important toughening mechanisms have attracted keen interests of materials scientists since they pave the way for the development of bio-inspired advanced composite materials for load-bearing structural applications. This article is aimed to review the characteristics of hierarchical structures and the mechanical properties of two kinds of crossed-lamellar structures, and further summarize the latest advances and biomimetic applications based on the unique crossed-lamellar structures.