Matter
ArticleSuperior Biomimetic Nacreous Bulk Nanocomposites by a Multiscale Soft-Rigid Dual-Network Interfacial Design Strategy
Progress and Potential
Despite being composed of poor components and growing under ambient conditions, natural biomaterials (such as nacre and bone) always achieve intriguing mechanical properties due to their unique interfaces and architectures. Biomimetic research is increasingly expected to develop new-style, lightweight, sustainable, and high-performance structural materials for various strategic applications. Ultrathin nanoplatelets are close-to-ideal and defect-free assembly units. However, the integration of these nanoscale building blocks into nacreous bulk nanocomposites remains challenging, largely due to the elusive micro- and nano-interface layout. In this work, a multiscale soft-rigid polymer dual-network interfacial design strategy was introduced into a scalable fabrication process to reasonably construct high-performance nacre-mimetic bulk materials from abundant clay nanoplatelets. The resultant nanocomposite achieves superior mechanically reinforced efficiency and environmental endurance.