Characterization and structural organization of the organic matrix of the radula teeth of the chiton Acanthopleura hirtosa

The organic matrix of the radula teeth of the chiton Acanthopleura hirtosa has been examined by a variety of techniques to identify and partially characterize the major structural component and to elucidate the complex architectural arrangement of matrix fibres. The teeth are initially composed solely of organic material, a major component of which has been identified as the partially deacetylated α-polymorph of the polysaccharide, chitin. The matrix consists of organic fibres, with significant changes in the organization and distribution of fibres occurring in the early stages of tooth development, presumably in preparation for the onset of mineralization. Organic fibres in the posterior region of the tooth cusp become progressively more sparse and poorly ordered. In contrast, the anterior section of the cusp becomes more structured, consisting of a series of highly ordered rope-like fibres. At high magnification these fibres can be seen to consist of hollow tubules linked by fine strands or bridges. Demineralized mature teeth show the same variation in the fibre density and arrangement. It is suggested both that mineralization occurs on a preformed organic framework of which the fibrous bridges are an integral component and that the organization of the matrix fibres together with the architecturally discrete distribution of minerals contributes significantly to the overall mechanical properties of the tooth.

Author(s):  
Jun Liu ◽  
Katie E. Gunnison ◽  
Mehmet Sarikaya ◽  
Ilhan A. Aksay

The interfacial structure between the organic and inorganic phases in biological hard tissues plays an important role in controlling the growth and the mechanical properties of these materials. The objective of this work was to investigate these interfaces in nacre by transmission electron microscopy. The nacreous section of several different seashells -- abalone, pearl oyster, and nautilus -- were studied. Nacre is a laminated composite material consisting of CaCO3 platelets (constituting > 90 vol.% of the overall composite) separated by a thin organic matrix. Nacre is of interest to biomimetics because of its highly ordered structure and a good combination of mechanical properties. In this study, electron transparent thin sections were prepared by a low-temperature ion-beam milling procedure and by ultramicrotomy. To reveal structures in the organic layers as well as in the interfacial region, samples were further subjected to chemical fixation and labeling, or chemical etching. All experiments were performed with a Philips 430T TEM/STEM at 300 keV with a liquid Nitrogen sample holder.


2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-259
Author(s):  
Baifen Liu ◽  
Mohammad Mirjalili ◽  
Peiman Valipour ◽  
Sajad Porzal ◽  
shirin Nourbakhsh

This research deals with the mechanical properties, microstructure, and interrelations of triple nanocomposite based on PET/EPDM/Nanoclay. These properties were examined in different percentages of PET/EPDM blend with compatibilizer (Styrene-Ethylene/Butylene-Styrene)-G-(Maleic anhydrate) (SEBS-g-MAH). Results showed that the addition of 15% SEBS-g-MAH improved the toughness and impact strength of this nanocomposite. SEM micrographs indicated the most stable fuzzy microstructure in a 50/50 mixture of scattered phases of EPDM/SEBS-g-MAH. The effects of percentages of 1, 3, 5, 7 nanoclay Cloisite 30B (C30B) on the improvement of the properties were evaluated. With the addition of nano clay, the toughness and impact strength was reduced. Thermal destruction of nanoclay in processing temperature led to the decreasing dispersion of clay plates in the matrix and a reduction in the distances of nano clay plates in the composite compared to pure nano clay. XRD and TEM analysis was used to demonstrate the results. By adding 1% of nanoclay to the optimal sample, maximum stiffness, and Impact strength, among other nanocomposites, was achieved.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1124
Author(s):  
Zhifang Liang ◽  
Hongwu Wu ◽  
Ruipu Liu ◽  
Caiquan Wu

Green biodegradable plastics have come into focus as an alternative to restricted plastic products. In this paper, continuous long sisal fiber (SF)/polylactic acid (PLA) premixes were prepared by an extrusion-rolling blending process, and then unidirectional continuous long sisal fiber-reinforced PLA composites (LSFCs) were prepared by compression molding to explore the effect of long fiber on the mechanical properties of sisal fiber-reinforced composites. As a comparison, random short sisal fiber-reinforced PLA composites (SSFCs) were prepared by open milling and molding. The experimental results show that continuous long sisal fiber/PLA premixes could be successfully obtained from this pre-blending process. It was found that the presence of long sisal fibers could greatly improve the tensile strength of LSFC material along the fiber extension direction and slightly increase its tensile elongation. Continuous long fibers in LSFCs could greatly participate in supporting the load applied to the composite material. However, when comparing the mechanical properties of the two composite materials, the poor compatibility between the fiber and the matrix made fiber’s reinforcement effect not well reflected in SSFCs. Similarly, the flexural performance and impact performance of LSFCs had been improved considerably versus SSFCs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunwu Yu ◽  
Wenhao Pan ◽  
Xiaoman Guo ◽  
Lili Gao ◽  
Yaxin Gu ◽  
...  

Poly(arylene ether sulfone) (PES)–titanium dioxide (TiO2) hybrid membranes were prepared via solution blending method using TiO2 nanoparticles as inorganic filler. The chemical structure and thermal stability of the matrix polymer were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. The crystal structure, morphology, mechanical properties, and gas separation performance of hybrid membranes were characterized in detail. As shown in scanning electron microscopic images, TiO2 nanoparticles dispersed homogeneously in the matrix. Although the mechanical properties of hybrid membranes decreased certainly compared to the pure PES membranes, they are strong enough for gas separation in this study. All gas permeability coefficients of PES-TiO2 hybrid membranes were higher than pure PES membranes, attributed to the nanogap caused by TiO2 nanoparticles, for instance, oxygen and nitrogen permeability coefficients of Hybrid-3 (consists of PES with 4-amino-phenyl pendant group and hexafluoroisopropyl (Am-PES)-20 and TiO2 nanoparticles, 5 wt%) increased from 2.57 and 0.33 to 5.88 and 0.63, respectively. In addition, the separation factor increased at the same time attributed to the stimulative transfer effect caused by the interaction of hydroxyl groups on the TiO2 nanoparticle and polar carbon dioxide molecules.


Metals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonid Agureev ◽  
Valeriy Kostikov ◽  
Zhanna Eremeeva ◽  
Svetlana Savushkina ◽  
Boris Ivanov ◽  
...  

The article presents the study of alumina nanoparticles’ (nanofibers) concentration effect on the strength properties of pure nickel. The samples were obtained by spark plasma sintering of previously mechanically activated metal powders. The dependence of the grain size and the relative density of compacts on the number of nanofibers was investigated. It was found that with an increase in the concentration of nanofibers, the average size of the matrix particles decreased. The effects of the nanoparticle concentration (0.01–0.1 wt.%) on the elastic modulus and tensile strength were determined for materials at 25 °C, 400 °C, and 750 °C. It was shown that with an increase in the concentration of nanofibers, a 10–40% increase in the elastic modulus and ultimate tensile strength occurred. A comparison of the mechanical properties of nickel in a wide range of temperatures, obtained in this work with materials made by various technologies, is carried out. A description of nanofibers’ mechanisms of influence on the structure and mechanical properties of nickel is given. The possible impact of impurity phases on the properties of nickel is estimated. The tendency of changes in the mechanical properties of nickel, depending on the concentration of nanofibers, is shown.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingmei Xie ◽  
Hiroki Kurita ◽  
Ryugo Ishigami ◽  
Fumio Narita

Epoxy resins are a widely used common polymer due to their excellent mechanical properties. On the other hand, cellulose nanofiber (CNF) is one of the new generation of fibers, and recent test results show that CNF reinforced polymers have high mechanical properties. It has also been reported that an extremely low CNF addition increases the mechanical properties of the matrix resin. In this study, we prepared extremely-low CNF (~1 wt.%) reinforced epoxy resin matrix (epoxy-CNF) composites, and tried to understand the strengthening mechanism of the epoxy-CNF composite through the three-point flexural test, finite element analysis (FEA), and discussion based on organic chemistry. The flexural modulus and strength were significantly increased by the extremely low CNF addition (less than 0.2 wt.%), although the theories for short-fiber-reinforced composites cannot explain the strengthening mechanism of the epoxy-CNF composite. Hence, we propose the possibility that CNF behaves as an auxiliary agent to enhance the structure of the epoxy molecule, and not as a reinforcing fiber in the epoxy resin matrix.


2017 ◽  
Vol 09 (01) ◽  
pp. 1750014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingguo Li ◽  
Bingbing An ◽  
Dongsheng Zhang

Interfacial behavior in the microstructure and the plastic deformation in the protein matrix influence the overall mechanical properties of biological hard tissues. A cohesive finite element model has been developed to investigate the inelastic mechanical properties of bone-like biocomposites consisting of hard mineral crystals embedded in soft biopolymer matrix. In this study, the complex interaction between plastic dissipation in the matrix and bonding properties of the interface between minerals and matrix is revealed, and the effect of such interaction on the toughening of bone-like biocomposites is identified. For the case of strong and intermediate interfaces, the toughness of biocomposites is controlled by the post yield behavior of biopolymer; the matrix with low strain hardening can undergo significant plastic deformation, thereby promoting enhanced fracture toughness of biocomposites. For the case of weak interfaces, the toughness of biocomposites is governed by the bonding property of the interface, and the post-yield behavior of biopolymer shows negligible effect on the toughness. The findings of this study help to direct the path for designing bioinspired materials with superior mechanical properties.


1979 ◽  
Vol 58 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 922-929 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.U. Nylen

The literature on the ultrastructural morphology of the enamel matrix and its relationship to the crystals is reviewed. Two morphological entities of the matrix are discussed: One is the so-called stippled material which may be the initial cell product; the other, variously described as fibrillar, lamellar, tubular or helical, is thought by many to play a crucial role in nucleation and orientation of the crystals. A number of observations, however, suggest that the latter structures form secondarily to the crystals and that in reality they represent organic material adsorbed to the crystal surface and maintained as independent structures upon removal of the mineral. The need for additional studies is stressed including systematic studies of interactions between constituents of the organic matrix and the apatite crystals.


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