Florian Bouville

Magnetically assisted slip casting of bioinspired heterogeneous composites

Natural composites are often heterogeneous to fulfil functional demands. Manufacturing analogous materials remains difficult, however, owing to the lack of adequate and easily accessible processing tools. Here, we report an additive manufacturing platform able to fabricate complex-shaped parts exhibiting bioinspired heterogeneous microstructures with locally tunable texture, composition and properties, as well as unprecedentedly high volume fractions of inorganic phase (up to 100%). The technology combines an aqueous-based slip-casting process with magnetically directed particle assembly to create programmed microstructural designs using anisotropic stiff platelets in a ceramic, metal or polymer functional matrix. Using quantitative tools to control the casting kinetics and the temporal pattern of the applied magnetic fields, we demonstrate that this approach is robust and can be exploited to design and fabricate heterogeneous composites with thus far inaccessible microstructures. Proof-of-concept examples include bulk composites with periodic patterns of microreinforcement orientation, and tooth-like bilayer parts with intricate shapes exhibiting site-specific composition and texture.

Self-Assembly of Faceted Particles Triggered by a Moving Ice Front

The possibility to align and organize faceted particles in the bulk offers intriguing possibilities for the design and discovery of materials and architectures exhibiting novel functional properties. The growth of ice crystals can be used to trigger the self-assembly of large, anisotropic particles and consequently to obtain three-dimensional porous materials of large dimensions in a limited amount of time. These mechanisms have not been explored so far due to the difficulty to experimentally investigate these systems. Here we elucidate the self-assembly mechanisms of faceted particles driven by ice growth by a combination of X-ray holotomography and discrete element modeling, providing insights into both the dynamics of self-assembly and their final packing. The encapsulation of particles is the result of a delicate balance between the force exerted by the percolating network of concentrated particles and the force exerted by the moving interface. We illustrate the benefits of such self-assembly for thermal management composite materials.

Mineral Nano-Interconnectivity Stiffens and Toughens Nacre-like Composite Materials

Bulk nacre-like composites with mineral nano-interconnectivity at the same length scale as in the biological material are produced using magnetic alignment and selective sintering techniques. These materials display stiffness and strength levels comparable to that of continuous fiber composites with the advantage of easier processability inherent of discontinuous composites. This opens new possibilities to produce parts with more complex designs.

Geologically-inspired strong bulk ceramics made with water at room temperature

Dense ceramic materials can form in nature under mild temperatures in water. By contrast, man-made ceramics often require sintering temperatures in excess of 1,400 °C for densification. Chemical strategies inspired by biomineralization processes have been demonstrated but remain limited to the fabrication of thin films and particles. Besides biomineralization, the formation of dense ceramic-like materials such as limestone also occurs in nature through large-scale geological processes. Inspired by the geological compaction of mineral sediments in nature, we report a room-temperature method to produce dense and strong ceramics within timescales comparable to those of conventional manufacturing processes. Using nanoscale powders and high compaction pressures, we show that such cold sintering process can be realized with water at room temperature to result in centimetre-sized bulk parts with specific strength that is comparable to, and occasionally even higher than, that of traditional structural materials like concrete.

3D Printing of Materials with Tunable Failure via Bioinspired Mechanical Gradients

Mechanical gradients are useful to reduce strain mismatches in heterogeneous materials and thus prevent premature failure of devices in a wide range of applications. While complex graded designs are a hallmark of biological materials, gradients in manmade materials are often limited to 1D profiles due to the lack of adequate fabrication tools. Here, a multimaterial 3D-printing platform is developed to fabricate elastomer gradients spanning three orders of magnitude in elastic modulus and used to investigate the role of various bioinspired gradient designs on the local and global mechanical behavior of synthetic materials. The digital image correlation data and finite element modeling indicate that gradients can be effectively used to manipulate the stress state and thus circumvent the weakening effect of defect-rich interfaces or program the failure behavior of heterogeneous materials. Implementing this concept in materials with bioinspired designs can potentially lead to defect-tolerant structures and to materials whose tunable failure facilitates repair of biomedical implants, stretchable electronics, or soft robotics.

Addendum: Magnetically assisted slip casting of bioinspired heterogeneous composites

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/nmat4419.

Corrigendum: Strong, tough and stiff bioinspired ceramics from brittle constituents

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/nmat3915.