Lower hardness than strength: The auxetic composite microstructure of limpet tooth

Michael Wurmshuber; Jana Wilmers; Jongil Kim; Sang Ho Oh; Swantje Bargmann; Daniel Kiener

doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2023.04.035

Lower hardness than strength: The auxetic composite microstructure of limpet tooth

Acta Biomater. 2023 Aug:166:447-453. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.04.035. Epub 2023 Apr 29.

Authors

Michael Wurmshuber¹, Jana Wilmers², Jongil Kim³, Sang Ho Oh⁴, Swantje Bargmann⁵, Daniel Kiener⁶

Affiliations

¹ Chair of Materials Physics, Department Materials Science, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria.
² Chair of Solid Mechanics, School of Mechanical Engineering and Safety Engineering, University of Wuppertal, Germany; Wuppertal Center for Smart Materials & Systems, University of Wuppertal, Germany.
³ Department of Energy Engineering, KENTECH Institute for Energy Materials and Devices, Korea Institute of Energy Technology (KENTECH), Republic of Korea.
⁴ Department of Energy Engineering, KENTECH Institute for Energy Materials and Devices, Korea Institute of Energy Technology (KENTECH), Republic of Korea. Electronic address: shoh@kentech.ac.kr.
⁵ Chair of Solid Mechanics, School of Mechanical Engineering and Safety Engineering, University of Wuppertal, Germany; Wuppertal Center for Smart Materials & Systems, University of Wuppertal, Germany. Electronic address: bargmann@uni-wuppertal.de.
⁶ Chair of Materials Physics, Department Materials Science, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria. Electronic address: daniel.kiener@unileoben.ac.at.

PMID: 37121368
DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.04.035

Abstract

The limpet tooth is widely recognized as nature's strongest material, with reported strength values up to 6.5 GPa. Recently, microscale auxeticity has been discovered in the leading part of the tooth, providing a possible explanation for this extreme strength. Utilizing micromechanical experiments, we find hardness values in nanoindentation that are lower than the respective strength observed in micropillar compression tests. Using micromechanical modeling, we show that this unique behavior is a result of local tensile strains during indentation, originating from the microscale auxeticity. As the limpet tooth lacks ductility, these tensile strains lead to microdamage in the auxetic regions of the microstructure. Consequently, indentation with a sharp indenter always probes a damaged version of the material, explaining the lower hardness and modulus values gained from nanoindentation. Micropillar tests were found to be mostly insensitive to such microdamage due to the lower applied strain and are therefore the suggested method for characterizing auxetic nanocomposites. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: This work explores the micromechanical properties of limpet teeth, nature's strongest biomaterial, using micropillar compression testing and nanoindentation. The limpet tooth microstructure consists of ceramic nanorods embedded in a matrix of amorphous SiO₂ and arranged in a pattern that leads to local auxetic behavior. We report lower values for nanoindentation hardness than for compressive strength, a unique behavior usually not achievable in conventional materials. Utilizing micromechanical finite element simulations, we identify the reason for this behavior to be microdamage formation resultant of the auxetic behavior, sharp indenter tip and lack of ductility of the limpet tooth microstructure. This formation of microdamage is not expected in micropillar compression tests due to lower locally imposed strain.

Keywords: Auxetic materials; Biomaterials; Micromechanical modeling; Nanoindentation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Biocompatible Materials
Compressive Strength
Hardness
Silicon Dioxide*
Tooth*

Substances

Silicon Dioxide
Biocompatible Materials