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A Protocol for Bioinspired Design: A Ground Sampler Based on Sea Urchin Jaws
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Ginkgo seed shell provides a unique model for bioinspired design.

Yuanyuan Zhang1,2, Jiajun Mao1, Jingsong Peng1

  • 1School of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|November 28, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Ginkgo biloba seed shells resist cracks in all directions due to their unique helicoidal cell walls and interlocking pits. This natural structure offers a novel bioinspired strategy for designing robust, high-performance materials.

Keywords:
bioinspiredfracture mechanismginkgo seed shellmechanical designweakly anisotropic

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Biomimetics
  • Structural Biology

Background:

  • Natural materials often have anisotropic structures, leading to excellent damage tolerance but also vulnerability to crack propagation.
  • Highly anisotropic structures, like wood, can fracture catastrophically along specific planes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the crack resistance of Ginkgo biloba seed shell.
  • To elucidate the microstructural basis and toughening mechanisms of ginkgo seed shell's fracture resistance.

Main Methods:

  • Microstructural analysis of ginkgo seed shell.
  • In situ characterization of crack propagation.
  • Fracture toughness testing and comparison with other natural materials.

Main Results:

  • Ginkgo seed shell exhibits weak anisotropy with polygonal sclereids and helicoidally oriented cellulose microfibrils.
  • Distinct pits act as 'screw fasteners,' interlocking cell walls and guiding crack propagation.
  • This unique pit-guided mechanism forces cracks into sclereids, where helicoidal walls inhibit growth, providing omnidirectional crack resistance.

Conclusions:

  • Ginkgo seed shell possesses exceptional, multi-directional crack resistance due to its unique microarchitecture.
  • The pit-guided crack propagation mechanism significantly enhances fracture toughness.
  • This natural toughening strategy offers valuable insights for bioinspired material design.