Revealing diatom-inspired materials multifunctionality

TL;DR

This paper investigates the structural and fluid dynamic efficiency of diatoms, especially Coscinodiscus, and proposes a novel 3D printable biomimetic material inspired by their multifunctional silica exoskeletons for diverse engineering applications.

Contribution

It combines simulations, models, and experiments to analyze diatom structures and introduces a new biomimetic material with potential for various technological uses.

Findings

Diatoms exhibit efficient structural and fluid dynamic properties.

A novel 3D printable biomimetic material is proposed.

Potential applications include filters, heat exchangers, and lightweight structures.

Abstract

Diatoms have been described as nanometer-born lithographers because of their ability to create sophisticated three-dimensional amorphous silica exoskeletons. The hierarchical architecture of these structures provides diatoms with mechanical protection and the ability to filter, float, and manipulate light. Therefore, they emerge as an extraordinary model of multifunctional materials from which to draw inspiration. In this paper, we use numerical simulations, analytical models, and experimental tests to unveil the structural and fluid dynamic efficiency of the Coscinodiscus species diatom. Then we propose a novel 3D printable multifunctional biomimetic material for applications such as porous filters, heat exchangers, drug delivery systems, lightweight structures, and robotics. Our results demonstrate the role of Nature as a material designer for efficient and tunable systems and highlight the potential of diatoms for engineering materials innovation. Additionally, the results reported in this paper lay the foundation to extend the structure-property characterization of diatoms.