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Showing 1–28 of 28 results
Advanced filters: Author: Peter Fratzl Clear advanced filters

  • Fangs are segments of the spider mouthparts, which are used to inject venom into prey and are required to sustain large mechanical loads. Here, the authors perform experiment-driven simulations, so to understand the correlation between the multiscale structural gradients and the biomechanical function of the fang.

    • Benny Bar-On
    • Friedrich G. Barth
    • Yael Politi
    ResearchOpen Access
    Nature Communications
    Volume: 5, P: 1-8

  • Hydro-responsive plant movements have provided inspiration for the design of adaptive materials. Harringtonet al. investigate the hydration-dependent unfolding of ice plant seed capsules and find an origami-like folding pattern, which could aid the development of biomimetic folding structures.

    • Matthew J. Harrington
    • Khashayar Razghandi
    • Ingo Burgert
    Research
    Nature Communications
    Volume: 2, P: 1-7

  • Hierarchical ordering is critical for preparing biomimetic materials, but control of multiscale structure over many length scales is limited. Here, the authors report on a bottom-up assembly process for producing highly porous hydrogel structures where structure dictates bulk properties.

    • Elisabeth C. Lloyd
    • Sujata Dhakal
    • Robert J. Hickey
    ResearchOpen Access
    Nature Communications
    Volume: 16, P: 1-9

  • A base-editing approach optimized to target the retina shows high editing rates in a mouse model of Stargardt disease, as well as in nonhuman primates and ex vivo human retinal explants, paving the way for potential clinical applications.

    • Alissa Muller
    • Jack Sullivan
    • Bence György
    ResearchOpen Access
    Nature Medicine
    Volume: 31, P: 490-501

  • An improved method for compressing wood substantially increases its strength and stiffness, opening up the possibility of applications in engineering for which natural wood is too weak.

    • Peter Fratzl
    News & Views
    Nature
    Volume: 554, P: 172-173

  • Shark teeth have short lifespans yet can be subject to significant mechanical damage. Here, the authors report on a site-specific damage mechanism in shark teeth enameloid, which maintains tooth functional shape, providing experimental evidence that tooth architecture may have influenced the diversification of shark ecologies over evolution.

    • Shahrouz Amini
    • Hajar Razi
    • Peter Fratzl
    ResearchOpen Access
    Nature Communications
    Volume: 11, P: 1-11

  • An additive manufacturing technique makes heterogeneous composites with tunable local microstructure and composition.

    • John W. C. Dunlop
    • Peter Fratzl
    News & Views
    Nature Materials
    Volume: 14, P: 1082-1083

  • A combination of two techniques — computed tomography and small-angle X-ray scattering — and serious computing power have enabled multi-scale, three-dimensional analysis of bone and tooth tissue. See Letters p.349 & p.353

    • Peter Fratzl
    News & Views
    Nature
    Volume: 527, P: 308-309

  • A cracked metal film on an elastic substrate has been shown to provide ultrahigh sensitivity in detecting mechanical vibrations. The result draws inspiration from principles of tiling that apply to many biological systems. See Letter p.222

    • Peter Fratzl
    News & Views
    Nature
    Volume: 516, P: 178-179

  • The propagation of submillimetre cracks reveals how the numerous internal structural dimensions in bone lead to a toughness that varies with orientation and scale.

    • Peter Fratzl
    News & Views
    Nature Materials
    Volume: 7, P: 610-612

  • Water is an important component of collagen in tendons, bone and extracellular matrix, but its role in the mechanical function of protein is poorly understood. Here, the authors study the effects of osmotic pressure on contraction in collagen, suggesting that collagen could function as a mechanical actuator.

    • Admir Masic
    • Luca Bertinetti
    • Peter Fratzl
    ResearchOpen Access
    Nature Communications
    Volume: 6, P: 1-8

  • Biological materials efficiently exploit self-assembly of simple constituents to produce complex functional structures such as optical devices. By controlling organic molecules, Leeet al. show fast two-step self-assembly of CaCO3microlens arrays, reminiscent of their biological counterparts.

    • Kyubock Lee
    • Wolfgang Wagermaier
    • Peter Fratzl
    ResearchOpen Access
    Nature Communications
    Volume: 3, P: 1-7

  • The crystallization of many minerals from solution has been shown to involve disordered precursors that agglomerate into an amorphous intermediate phase, a pathway that seems to contradict classical nucleation theory. It is now found that the crystallization of magnetite—a magnetic iron oxide with many bio- and nanotechnological applications—occurs classically from the accretion of precursors in the absence of amorphous intermediates.

    • Jens Baumgartner
    • Archan Dey
    • Damien Faivre
    Research
    Nature Materials
    Volume: 12, P: 310-314

  • A new carbonate phase calcium carbonate hemihydrate was recently discovered and characterized, but exclusively as a synthetic material. Here the authors find that it exists in nature, albeit transiently, on the surface of growing nacre and coral skeletons, and show that 2 amorphous and 2 metastable crystalline nano-minerals form before biominerals settle into their stable crystals.

    • Connor A. Schmidt
    • Eric Tambutté
    • Pupa U.P.A. Gilbert
    ResearchOpen Access
    Nature Communications
    Volume: 15, P: 1-15

  • The mussel byssus cuticle is a wear-resistant and extensible metalloprotein composite. Here, the authors probed the cuticle nanostructure and composition before, during and after fabrication revealing a crucial role of metal-binding proteins that self-organize via liquid-liquid phase separation.

    • Franziska Jehle
    • Elena Macías-Sánchez
    • Matthew J. Harrington
    ResearchOpen Access
    Nature Communications
    Volume: 11, P: 1-9

  • The compositional makeup of skeletons and teeth in invertebrates and vertebrates is generally different. This study examines the material composition and properties of freshwater crayfish mandibles and finds, in an unusual case of convergent evolution, that they are composed of an apatite layer that is similar to mammalian enamel.

    • Shmuel Bentov
    • Paul Zaslansky
    • Barbara Aichmayer
    ResearchOpen Access
    Nature Communications
    Volume: 3, P: 1-7

  • Sucker ring teeth from squid and cuttlefish represent rare examples of thermoplastic biopolymers. Here, the authors demonstrate how these materials may be processed for implementation in biomedical and 3D printing applications.

    • Victoria Latza
    • Paul A. Guerette
    • Admir Masic
    ResearchOpen Access
    Nature Communications
    Volume: 6, P: 1-8

  • Global warming and ocean acidification impact coral ecosystems. Here, the authors show higher skeletal porosity and reduced bulk density at lower pH in corals living along a natural pH gradient in the Mediterranean, which may contribute to reduce population density and increase damage susceptibility.

    • Paola Fantazzini
    • Stefano Mengoli
    • Stefano Goffredo
    ResearchOpen Access
    Nature Communications
    Volume: 6, P: 1-7

  • In many solution systems, nanometre-sized structural units are present before nucleation, but little is known about these pre-nucleation clusters. Habraken et al.show that, for the crystallization of calcium phosphate, these nanometre-sized units are calcium triphosphate complexes.

    • Wouter J. E. M. Habraken
    • Jinhui Tao
    • Nico A. J. M. Sommerdijk
    Research
    Nature Communications
    Volume: 4, P: 1-12

  • A mechanical crack-based sensor inspired by the mechanism spiders use to sense minute variations in stress offers ultrahigh sensitivity to pressure and vibration and can easily be mounted on human skin for the purposes of speech recognition and the monitoring of physiological signals.

    • Daeshik Kang
    • Peter V. Pikhitsa
    • Mansoo Choi
    Research
    Nature
    Volume: 516, P: 222-226

  • Osteogenesis imperfecta — also known as brittle bone disease — is a heterogeneous group of inherited bone dysplasias characterized by skeletal deformity and bone fragility. In this Primer, Marini et al. provide an overview of the epidemiology, genetics, pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of osteogenesis imperfecta.

    • Joan C. Marini
    • Antonella Forlino
    • Oliver Semler
    Reviews
    Nature Reviews Disease Primers
    Volume: 3, P: 1-19