Bio - inspired Machinable Nanolayered Ceramic : the Unprecedented Fracture

Microstructures and mechanical performance of polyelectrolyte/nanocrystalline TiO2 nanolayered composites

Biological materials with hierarchically laminated structures usually exhibit a good synergy between strength and fracture toughness. Here, we show that a bio-inspired (polyelectrolyte (PE)/TiO2)4 nanolayered composite with a thickness ratio of TiO2 and amorphous PE layers of about 1.1 has been prepared successfully on Si substrates by layer-by-layer self-assembly and chemical bath deposition m...

Optimizing the design of bio-inspired functionally graded material (FGM) layer in all-ceramic dental restorations.

Due to elastic modulus mismatch between the different layers in all-ceramic dental restorations, high tensile stress concentrates at the interface between the ceramic core and cement. In natural tooth structure, stress concentration is reduced by the functionally graded structure of dentin-enamel junction (DEJ) which interconnects enamel and dentin. Inspired by DEJ, the aim of this study was to...

Tough, bio-inspired hybrid materials.

The notion of mimicking natural structures in the synthesis of new structural materials has generated enormous interest but has yielded few practical advances. Natural composites achieve strength and toughness through complex hierarchical designs that are extremely difficult to replicate synthetically. We emulate nature's toughening mechanisms by combining two ordinary compounds, aluminum oxide...

Thermophysical modeling of novel machinable ceramic materials

Biomimetic Gradient Index (GRIN) Lenses

A new class of hierarchically structured polymer optical materials possessing an internal refractive index gradient that mimics biological optical materials is described. The new materials permit the fabrication of gradient refractive index (GRIN) lenses with an unprecedented variety of index gradients. Gradients with different functional forms in both the radial and axial directions have been ...