Bioinspired armor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bioinspired armor are materials that were inspired by the composition, and most importantly, the microstructures commonly found in nature’s natural defense mechanisms. These microstructures have been evolved by organisms to protect themselves from exterior forces, such as predatory attacks. These materials and their microstructures are optimized to withstand large forces. By taking inspiration from these materials we can design armor that has better penetration resistance and force dissipation properties than previously possible.
Nature uses abundantly available materials to develop structures that have the most efficiently aimed mechanical properties. By examining the microstructures produced in nature, scientists can engineer these structures with more optimal materials to produce the most mechanically robust version of these structures. Biological/Bioinspired armor is specifically aimed at producing protective materials by optimizing naturally occurring defensive materials.
This article will cover common types of defensive materials observed in nature, how these microstructures contribute to the impressive material properties, and how scientists have used this knowledge to develop novel protective materials.