title: Strong, tough and stiff bioinspired ceramics from brittle constituents.
abstract: High strength and high toughness are usually mutually exclusive in engineering materials. In ceramics, improving toughness usually relies on the introduction of a metallic or polymeric ductile phase, but this decreases the material's strength and stiffness as well as its high-temperature stability. Although natural materials that are both strong and tough rely on a combination of mechanisms operating at different length scales, the relevant structures have been extremely difficult to replicate. Here, we report a bioinspired approach based on widespread ceramic processing techniques for the fabrication of bulk ceramics without a ductile phase and with a unique combination of high strength (470 MPa), high toughness (22 MPa m(1/2)), and high stiffness (290 GPa). Because only mineral constituents are needed, these ceramics retain their mechanical properties at high temperatures (600 °C). Our bioinspired, material-independent approach should find uses in the design and processing of materials for structural, transportation and energy-related applications.
authors.affiliation: 1] Laboratoire de Synthèse et Fonctionnalisation des Céramiques, UMR3080 CNRS/Saint-Gobain, Cavaillon F-69621, France [2] Université de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, MATEIS CNRS UMR5510, Villeurbanne 84306, France.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bouville
authors.affiliation: Université de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, MATEIS CNRS UMR5510, Villeurbanne 84306, France.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maire
authors.affiliation: Université de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, MATEIS CNRS UMR5510, Villeurbanne 84306, France.
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meille
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Lyon 69364, France.
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Van de Moortèle
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Synthèse et Fonctionnalisation des Céramiques, UMR3080 CNRS/Saint-Gobain, Cavaillon F-69621, France.
authors.forename: Adam J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Synthèse et Fonctionnalisation des Céramiques, UMR3080 CNRS/Saint-Gobain, Cavaillon F-69621, France.
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deville
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002516:Ceramics / Q000737:chemistry*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008422:Materials Testing; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials