In this month's edition of Physics World, a group of physicists describe how unique structures in the natural world are inspiring scientists to develop new types of materials with unprecedented properties.
The mystery of how pearls form into the most perfectly spherical large objects in nature may have an unlikely explanation, scientists are proposing in a new study. It appears in ACS' journal Langmuir, named for 1932 Nobel ...
Researchers working to design new materials that are durable, lightweight and environmentally sustainable are increasingly looking to natural composites, such as bone, for inspiration: Bone is strong and tough because its ...
(Phys.org) -- Mimicking the way mother of pearl is created in nature, scientists have for the first time synthesised the strong, iridescent coating found on the inside of some molluscs. The research was published today in ...
Berkeley Lab researchers have reported the first direct observation of nanoparticles undergoing oriented attachment, the critical step in biomineralization and the growth of nanocrystals. A better understanding of oriented ...
Nacre -- or mother of pearl, scientists and artisans know, is one of nature's amazing utilitarian materials.
(PhysOrg.com) -- In nature, the strength of mother-of-pearl is a key to survival for some shellfish. Now a team led by Xiaodong Li, an engineering professor at the University of South Carolina, has posited an explanation ...
Nacre, commonly known as mother-of-pearl, is the iridescent material lining many mollusk shells. It is part of a two-layer armor system that protects the animal from predators. The brittle outer layer of the shell absorbs ...
(PhysOrg.com) -- Biological materials are fascinating because they are very light but have the ability to withstand extreme forces. Nacre is amazingly tough thanks to a multi-layer arrangement of platelet-shaped calcium carbonate ...
Helsinki University of Technology research group in collaboration with VTT and Royal Institute of Technology, Finland, show the first example of light-weight but mechanically strong nanocomposite material mimicking the nacreous ...
