High-Performance Nanocomposites Inspired by Nature

Abstract

Natural materials, including nacre, bone, and the lobster cuticle, exhibit excellent mechanical properties, combining high strength and toughness. Such materials have the added benefit of being light in weight. These advantageous features are due to such natural materials' orderly hierarchical architectures and abundant interface interactions. How to utilize these design principles created by nature to fabricate high-performance bioinspired nanocomposites remains a great research challenge. A logical roadmap for developing these nanocomposites can be described as "discovery, invention, and creation." Here, the discovery of the relationship between natural materials' design principles and such materials' extraordinary mechanical properties is discussed. Then, the invention of bioinspired strategies for mimicking natural materials is considered and representative strategies addressed. Next, the creation of multifunctional nanocomposites is discussed and bioinspired nanocomposites, including fiber nanocomposites, 2D film nanocomposites, and 3D bulk nanocomposites reviewed. Finally, a perspective and outlook for future directions in making bioinspired nanocomposites is provided to offer inspiration to the community and a clear vision for future research.

High-performance natural materials usually possess orderly hierarchical architectures and abundant interface interactions and inspire novel nanocomposites. The development of bioinspired nanocomposites can be summarized by the roadmap of "discovery, invention, and creation." The discovery of natural materials, the invention of bioinspired nanocomposites, and the creation of bioinspired multifunctional nanocomposites are discussed, along with the outlook for the future.

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