Strength and toughness of bio-fusion materials

Abstract

In nature, there are many strong and tough biomaterials that result from the fusion of soft and hard elements. These materials include nacre, crustacean exoskeletons and spider webs. Here, we review previous studies on such bio-fusion materials, emphasizing the importance of simple models to gain a physical understanding of the emergence of strength and toughness from these structures. Thus, a simple understanding obtained through biologically inspired models provides useful guiding principles for the development of artificial tough composites by mimicking biomaterials.