Princeton engineers create new oyster-inspired cement 17X more crack-resistant
Princeton University researchers develop crack-resistant cement composite inspired by shells, enhancing durability of ceramic materials. Bio-inspired strategy improves toughness, with potential to revolutionize construction material design.
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Researchers at Princeton University have developed a new cement composite inspired by the structure of oyster and abalone shells. This material is significantly more crack-resistant and ductile compared to standard cement, potentially enhancing the durability and safety of various brittle ceramic materials like concrete and porcelain. By creating alternating layers of hexagonal cement tiles and thin polymer, the team achieved a composite that mimics the strength and flexibility of natural materials like nacre, found in shells. The innovative approach focuses on engineering defects in brittle materials to enhance their strength, drawing inspiration from nature's mechanisms at the nanometer level. The study, published in Advanced Functional Materials, demonstrates a bio-inspired strategy to improve the toughness of construction materials. While the findings are promising, further research is needed to apply these techniques to other ceramic materials beyond cement paste. The project was supported by the National Science Foundation, showcasing the potential for bio-inspired engineering to revolutionize material design in the construction industry.
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6 comments ...creating alternating layers of tabulated cement paste and thin polymer can significantly increase crack resistance and the ability to deform without completely breaking (ductility)
In our experiment, we tried various reinforcements to concrete and tested the weight loading capacity before cracking. Quite surprising, at #2, was basic acrylic yarn layered perpendicularly in an overlapping "weave". By far the cheapest, lightest, strongest reinforcement that we tried!
It wasn't until I was much older that I realized that the impracticality of building a canoe out of concrete was the whole point of the endeavor. For years my childhood brain assumed that concrete was just one of the materials people commonly used to build boats. Want to build a canoe? Likely options are wood, animal hides, or concrete.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40796770
Can we close this Princeton PR as a dupe and have the discussion over there instead?
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