Preparation and Machine-Learning Methods of Nacre-like Composites from the Self-Assembly of Magnetic Colloids Exposed to Rotating Magnetic Fields

Composite materials designed by nature, such as nacre, can display unique mechanical properties and have therefore been often mimicked by scientists. In this work, we prepared composite materials mimicking the nacre structure in two steps. First, we synthesized a silica gel skeleton with a layered structure using a bottom-up approach by modifying a sol-gel synthesis. Magnetic colloids were added to the sol solution, and a rotating magnetic field was applied during the sol-gel transition. When exposed to a rotating magnetic field, magnetic colloids organize in layers parallel to the plane of rotation of the field and template the growing silica phase, resulting in a layered anisotropic silica network mimicking the nacre's inorganic phase. Heat treatment has been applied to further harden the silica monoliths. The final nacre-inspired composite is created by filling the porous structure with a monomer, leading to a soft elastomer upon polymerization. Compression tests of the platelet-structured composite show that the mechanical properties of the nacre-like composite material far exceed those of nonstructured composite materials with an identical chemical composition. Increased toughness and a nearly 10-fold increase in Young's modulus were achieved. The natural brittleness and low elastic deformation of silica monoliths could be overcome by mimicking the natural architecture of nacre. Pattern recognition obtained with a classification of machine learning algorithms was applied to achieve a better understanding of the physical and chemical parameters that have the highest impact on the mechanical properties of the monoliths. Multivariate statistical analysis was performed to show that the structural control and the heat treatment have a very strong influence on the mechanical properties of the monoliths.

Advancement in Graphene-Based Materials and Their Nacre Inspired Composites for Armour Applications-A Review

The development of armour systems with higher ballistic resistance and light weight has gained considerable attention as an increasing number of countries are recognising the need to build up advanced self-defence system to deter potential military conflicts and threats. Graphene is a two dimensional one-atom thick nanomaterial which possesses excellent tensile strength (130 GPa) and specific penetration energy (10 times higher than steel). It is also lightweight, tough and stiff and is expected to replace the current aramid fibre-based polymer composites. Currently, insights derived from the study of the nacre (natural armour system) are finding applications on the development of artificial nacre structures using graphene-based materials that can achieve high toughness and energy dissipation. The aim of this review is to discuss the potential of graphene-based nanomaterials with regard to the penetration energy, toughness and ballistic limit for personal body armour applications. This review addresses the cutting-edge research in the ballistic performance of graphene-based materials through theoretical, experimentation as well as simulations. The influence of fabrication techniques and interfacial interactions of graphene-based bioinspired polymer composites for ballistic application are also discussed. This review also covers the artificial nacre which is shown to exhibit superior mechanical and toughness behaviours.

Improvement in Functional Properties of Soy Protein Isolate-Based Film by Cellulose Nanocrystal⁻Graphene Artificial Nacre Nanocomposite

A facile, inexpensive, and green approach for the production of stable graphene dispersion was proposed in this study. We fabricated soy protein isolate (SPI)-based nanocomposite films with the combination of 2D negative charged graphene and 1D positive charged polyethyleneimine (PEI)-modified cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) via a layer-by-layer assembly method. The morphologies and surface charges of graphene sheets and CNC segments were characterized by atomic force microscopy and Zeta potential measurements. The hydrogen bonds and multiple interface interactions between the filler and SPI matrix were analyzed by Attenuated Total Reflectance⁻Fourier Transform Infrared spectra and X-ray diffraction patterns. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated the cross-linked and laminated structures in the fracture surface of the films. In comparison with the unmodified SPI film, the tensile strength and surface contact angles of the SPI/graphene/PEI-CNC film were significantly improved, by 99.73% and 37.13% respectively. The UV⁻visible light barrier ability, water resistance, and thermal stability were also obviously enhanced. With these improved functional properties, this novel bio-nanocomposite film showed considerable potential for application for food packaging materials.

Thermochromic Artificial Nacre Based on Montmorillonite

Nacre-inspired nanocomposites have attracted a great deal of attention in recent years because of their special mechanical properties and universality of the underlying principles of materials engineering. The ability to respond to external stimuli will augment the high toughness and high strength of artificial nacre-like composites and open new technological horizons for these materials. Herein, we fabricated robust artificial nacre based on montmorillonite (MMT) that combines robustness with reversible thermochromism. Our artificial nacre shows great potential in various fields such as aerospace and sensors and opens an avenue to fabricate artificial nacre responsive to other external stimuli in the future.

Bio-Based Artificial Nacre with Excellent Mechanical and Barrier Properties Realized by a Facile In Situ Reduction and Cross-Linking Reaction

Demands for high strength integrated materials have substantially increased across various kinds of industries. Inspired by the relationship of excellent integration of mechanical properties and hierarchical nano/microscale structure of the natural nacre, a simple and facile method to fabricate high strength integrated artificial nacre based on sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and borate cross-linked graphene oxide (GO) sheets has been developed. The tensile strength and toughness of cellulose-based hybrid material reached 480.5 ± 13.1 MPa and 11.8 ± 0.4 MJm^-3 by a facile in situ reduction and cross-linking reaction between CMC and GO (0.7%), which are 3.55 and 6.55 times that of natural nacre. This hybrid film exhibits better thermal stability and flame retardancy. More interestingly, the hybrid material showed good water stability compared to that in the original water-soluble CMC. This type of hybrid has great potential applications in aerospace, artificial muscle, and tissue engineering.

Use of Synergistic Interactions to Fabricate Strong, Tough, and Conductive Artificial Nacre Based on Graphene Oxide and Chitosan

Graphene is the strongest and stiffest material, leading to the development of promising applications in many fields. However, the assembly of graphene nanosheets into macrosized nanocomposites for practical applications remains a challenge. Nacre in its natural form sets the "gold standard" for toughness and strength, which serves as a guide to the assembly of graphene nanosheets into high-performance nanocomposites. Here we show the strong, tough, conductive artificial nacre based on graphene oxide through synergistic interactions of hydrogen and covalent bonding. Tensile strength and toughness was 4 and 10 times higher, respectively, than that of natural nacre. The exceptional integrated strong and tough artificial nacre has promising applications in aerospace, artificial muscle, and tissue engineering, especially for flexible supercapacitor electrodes due to its high electrical conductivity. The use of synergistic interactions is a strategy for the development of high-performance nanocomposites.

Binary Synergy Strengthening and Toughening of Bio-Inspired Nacre-like Graphene Oxide/Sodium Alginate Composite Paper

A crucial requirement for most engineering materials is the excellent balance of strength and toughness. By mimicking the hybrid hierarchical structure in nacre, a kind of nacre-like paper based on binary hybrid graphene oxide (GO)/sodium alginate (SA) building blocks has been successfully fabricated. Systematic evaluation for the mechanical property in different (dry/wet) environment/after thermal annealing shows a perfect combination of high strength and toughness. Both of the parameters are nearly many-times higher than those of similar materials because of the synergistic strengthening/toughening enhancement from the binary GO/SA hybrids. The successful fabrication route offers an excellent approach to design advanced strong integrated nacre-like composite materials, which can be applied in tissue engineering, protection, aerospace, and permeable membranes for separation and delivery.

Graphene-and-Copper Artificial Nacre Fabricated by a Preform Impregnation Process: Bioinspired Strategy for Strengthening-Toughening of Metal Matrix Composite

Metals can be strengthened by adding hard reinforcements, but such strategy usually compromises ductility and toughness. Natural nacre consists of hard and soft phases organized in a regular "brick-and-mortar" structure and exhibits a superior combination of mechanical strength and toughness, which is an attractive model for strengthening and toughening artificial composites, but such bioinspired metal matrix composite has yet to be made. Here we prepared nacre-like reduced graphene oxide (RGrO) reinforced Cu matrix composite based on a preform impregnation process, by which two-dimensional RGrO was used as "brick" and inserted into "□-and-mortar" ordered porous Cu preform (the symbol "□" means the absence of "brick"), followed by compacting. This process realized uniform dispersion and alignment of RGrO in Cu matrix simultaneously. The RGrO-and-Cu artificial nacres exhibited simultaneous enhancement on yield strength and ductility as well as increased modulus, attributed to RGrO strengthening, effective crack deflection and a possible combined failure mode of RGrO. The artificial nacres also showed significantly higher strengthening efficiency than other conventional Cu matrix composites, which might be related to the alignment of RGrO.

A General Route to Robust Nacre-Like Graphene Oxide Films

Artificial nacre-like composite films of graphene oxide (GO) with a variety of commercially available water-soluble polymers were fabricated by a gel-film transformation (GFT) technique. The blending of a polymer into the aqueous dispersion of GO can modulate the interaction between GO sheets. Typically, the attraction force between polymer and GO sheets overcomes the dominant hydration and electrostatic repulsive forces between GO sheets, promoting the gelation of GO. Cast drying the resultant GO hydrogel containing small amounts of polymer (1-20 wt % relative to GO depending on the intrinsic structures of polymers) generates layered GO composite films with tensile strengths over 200 MPa and failure strains larger than 3.0%, which are higher than those of natural nacre and most nacre-like GO films. These results indicate that GO/polymer composite hydrogels are excellent precursors for nacre-like GO films and that the GFT approach is a general route toward the large-scale fabrication of nacre-like GO films with unique combinations of high strength and high toughness.

A strong integrated strength and toughness artificial nacre based on dopamine cross-linked graphene oxide

Demands of the strong integrated materials have substantially increased across various industries. Inspired by the relationship of excellent integration of mechanical properties and hierarchical nano/microscale structure of the natural nacre, we have developed a strategy for fabricating the strong integrated artificial nacre based on graphene oxide (GO) sheets by dopamine cross-linking via evaporation-induced assembly process. The tensile strength and toughness simultaneously show 1.5 and 2 times higher than that of natural nacre. Meanwhile, the artificial nacre shows high electrical conductivity. This type of strong integrated artificial nacre has great potential applications in aerospace, flexible supercapacitor electrodes, artificial muscle, and tissue engineering.