Residual strain and stress in biocrystals

TL;DR

This paper reviews the presence, development mechanisms, and effects of residual strains in biominerals, highlighting their potential role in enhancing mechanical properties and future bio-inspired material design.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of residual strains in biominerals, emphasizing their significance and potential applications in material strengthening strategies.

Findings

Residual strains are naturally present in biominerals.

Residual strains influence mechanical properties of biominerals.

Potential for residual strains to be used in multi-scale strengthening.

Abstract

The development of residual strains within a material is a valuable engineering technique for increasing the material's strength and toughness. Residual strains occur naturally in some biominerals and are an important feature that has recently been highlighted in biomineral studies. Here, we review manifestations of internal residual strains detected in biominerals. We describe the mechanisms by which they develop as well as their impact on the biominerals' mechanical properties. The question as to whether they can be utilized in multi-scale strengthening and toughening strategies for biominerals is discussed.