Materials Design Principles From Ancient Armored Fish Give Clues For Improved Engineered Biomimetic Structural Materials

摘要

Dermal armor in fish first appeared ～500 million years ago in the Paleozoic period. As ancient fish became more predatory, armor design evolved incorporating smaller plates instead of larger plates and fewer, thinner layers replacing multiple, thick layers resulting in a lighter weight, balancing protection with mobility for maximum survival. B. Bruet, J. Song, M. Boyce, and C. Ortiz of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have used nanoindentation and finite element analysis simulations to uncover structure-property-function relationships in individual scales of a model species of armored fish, Polypterus senegalus. The materials design principles of P. senegalus fish armor in the context of their primary environmental threat, penetrating bite attacks, and mechanically protective function, could lead to better bio-inspired engineered designs for human body armor, according to the researchers.