4 / 50
4
A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | A P R I L 2 0 1 7
ASM International
9639 Kinsman Road, Materials Park, OH 44073
Tel: 440.338.5151 • Fax: 440.338.4634
Frances Richards,
Editor-in-Chief
frances.richards@asminternational.org
Ed Kubel, Larry Berardinis, and Erika Steinberg,
Contributing Editors
Jim Pallotta,
Creative Director
jim.pallotta@asminternational.org
Jan Nejedlik,
Layout and Design
Kelly Sukol,
Production Manager
kelly.suko
l@asminternational.org
Press Release Editor
magazines@asminternational.org
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Somuri Prasad,
Chair,
Sandia National Lab
Adam Farrow,
Vice Chair,
Los Alamos National Lab
Jaimie Tiley,
Past Chair,
U.S. Air Force Research Lab
Ellen Cerreta,
Board Liaison,
Los Alamos
National Lab
Tomasz Chojnacki,
Caterpillar Inc.
Mario Epler,
Carpenter Technology Corp.
Yaakov Idell,
NIST
Hideyuki Kanematsu,
Suzuka National
College of Technology
John Shingledecker,
EPRI
Kumar Sridharan,
University of Wisconsin
ASMBOARDOF TRUSTEES
William E. Frazier,
President
Frederick E. Schmidt, Jr.,
Vice President
Jon D. Tirpak,
Immediate Past President
Craig D. Clauser,
Treasurer
Ellen K. Cerreta
Kathryn Dannemann
Ryan M. Deacon
Larry D. Hanke
Roger A. Jones
Sudipta Seal
Tirumalai S. Sudarshan
David B. Williams
John D. Wolodko
William T. Mahoney,
Secretary and
Managing Director
STUDENT BOARDMEMBERS
Swetha Barkam, Allison Fraser, Rachael Stewart
Individual readers of Advanced Materials & Processes may,
without charge, make single copies of pages therefrom for per-
sonal or archival use, or may freely make such copies in such
numbers as are deemed useful for educational or research
purposes and are not for sale or resale. Permission is granted
to cite or quote fromarticles herein, provided customary
acknowledgment of the authors and source is made.
The acceptance and publication of manuscripts in Advanced
Materials & Processes does not imply that the reviewers,
editors, or publisher accept, approve, or endorse the data,
opinions, and conclusions of the authors.
S
pring has finally arrived and the daffodils are up again,
swaying in the breeze and bobbing their pretty heads.
If this sounds corny to you, it can only mean one thing:
You’ve never slogged through the monotony of a gray Cleve-
land winter. Nature is inspiring in so many surprising and
unusual ways, including a multitude of concepts that have
a direct impact on materials science. In fact, every issue of
AM&P
includes a few instances of awe-inspiring biomimicry.
Following is a snapshot of some of themost interestingmate-
rials developments blooming in labs this season:
• Orange puffball sea sponges (pic-
tured):
Using structural mechan-
ics models and data from ob-
scure math journals, researchers
at Brown University found that
these sponges have tiny structur-
al rods with the perfect shape to
resist buckling. This natural form
could be used as a blueprint for
delicate man-made structures
like bicycle spokes and arterial
stents.
• Moth eyes:
The technology that
enables a new NASA-developed
camera to create images of astronomical objects with far greater sensitivi-
ty than previously possible was inspired by a moth’s eye. These insect eyes
contain fine arrays of tiny, tapered cylindrical protuberances whose job is to
reduce reflection for nocturnal navigation. The same concept is being applied
to NASA’s far-infrared absorber in the new camera system.
• Bone tissue:
For the first time, biomedical engineers at the University of New
South Wales have woven a smart fabric that mimics the complex properties
of periosteum. Researchers are now ready to produce fabric prototypes for a
range of advanced functional materials, with applications such as protective
suits that stiffen under high impact for skiers, racecar drivers, and astronauts.
• Brown recluse webs:
New research at the University of Oxford shows that
brown recluse spiders use a unique micro-looping technique to make their
threads stronger than that of any other spider. Unlike other spiders, who pro-
duce round ribbons of thread, recluse silk is thin and flat. This structural differ-
ence is key to the thread’s strength, in addition to tiny loops or knots the spi-
der adds for even greater stability. This spider sense is now being transferred
to synthetic fibers.
• Algae armor:
Chemists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz are work-
ing on a coating to prevent seawater fouling, inspired by a chemical defense
mechanism in algae that uses metabolic products to prevent other organ-
isms from attaching to them. The nontoxic coating could replace copper-base
biocides, which are poisonous, accumulate in the environment, and lead to
resistance.
These are just a handful of recent materials developments inspired by
nature. If you are working on any biomimetic projects, we’d like to hear about
them. In the meantime, we hope your spring is off to a productive start.
frances.richards@asminternational.orgNATURE SPRINGS INTO
MATERIALS INNOVATIONS
Orange puff all sea sponge bodies feature
tiny structural rods that resist buckling.
Courtesy of Brown University.