Mechanical design of the highly porous cuttlebone: A bioceramic hard buoyancy tank for cuttlefish

作者：Ting Yang, Zian Jia, Hongshun Chen, Zhifei Deng, Wenkun Liu, Liuni Chen, Ling Li · 发表于：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 年份：2020 · DOI：10.1073/pnas.2009531117 · 被引用次数：160 · 研究领域：Cephalopods and Marine Biology、Calcium Carbonate Crystallization and Inhibition、Bone Tissue Engineering Materials

Currently, our knowledge on the structural origins for cuttlebone's remarkable mechanical performance is limited. Combining quantitative three-dimensional (3D) structural characterization, four-dimensional (4D) mechanical analysis, digital image correlation, and parametric simulations, here we reveal that the characteristic chambered "wall-septa" microstructure of cuttlebone, drastically distinct from other natural or engineering cellular solids, allows for simultaneous high specific stiffness (8.4 MN⋅m/kg) and energy absorption (4.4 kJ/kg) upon loading. We demonstrate that the vertical walls in the chambered cuttlebone microstructure have evolved an optimal waviness gradient, which leads to compression-dominant deformation and asymmetric wall fracture, accomplishing both high stiffness and high energy absorption. Moreover, the distribution of walls is found to reduce stress concentrations within the horizontal septa, facilitating a larger chamber crushing stress and a more significant densification. The design strategies revealed here can provide important lessons for the development of low-density, stiff, and damage-tolerant cellular ceramics.