Mar-02-17
A new material inspired by tooth enamel could be used to created stronger airplanes.
Tooth enamel is made up of ceramic crystal pillars that are surrounded by a soft protein and stacked in layers, which allows the material to withstand the stresses of chewing while also absorbing energy that might damage the tooth’s structure.
The synthetic tooth enamel, created by a team from the University of Michigan, builds upon the natural structure of the material, replacing the crystal pillars and protein with zinc oxide nanowires surrounded by numerous coatings of liquid polymers. The result was a material that proved as effective as tooth enamel at resisting damage from vibrations and could be the perfect combination of strength and vibration tolerance needed to build airplane fuselages and automobile chassis.
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