title: Cuttlebone-like V2O5Nanofibre Scaffolds - Advances in Structuring Cellular Solids.
abstract: The synthesis of ceramic materials combining high porosity and permeability with good mechanical stability is challenging, as optimising the latter requires compromises regarding the first two properties. Nonetheless, significant progress can be made in this direction by taking advantage of the structural design principles evolved by nature. Natural cellular solids achieve good mechanical stability via a defined hierarchical organisation of the building blocks they are composed of. Here, we report the first synthetic, ceramic-based scaffold whose architecture closely mimics that of cuttlebone -a structural biomaterial whose porosity exceeds that of most other natural cellular solids, whilst preserving an excellent mechanical strength. The nanostructured, single-component scaffold, obtained by ice-templated assembly of V2O5nanofibres, features a highly sophisticated and elaborate architecture of equally spaced lamellas, which are regularly connected by pillars as lamella support. It displays an unprecedented porosity of 99.8 %, complemented by an enhanced mechanical stability. This novel bioinspired, functional material not only displays mechanical characteristics similar to natural cuttlebone, but the multifunctionality of the V2O5nanofibres also renders possible applications, including catalysts, sensors and electrodes for energy storage.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Materials Science, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Knöller
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.|Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Tomče
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Runčevski
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Heisenbergstr. 1, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Dinnebier
authors.affiliation: Institute for Materials Science, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bill
authors.affiliation: Institute for Materials Science, University of Stuttgart, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Zaklina
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Burghard