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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
chemical engineering
The biocomposite tube of a chaetopterid marine worm constructed with highly-controlled orientation of nanofilaments
Materials Science and Engineering C, Volume 48, Year 2015
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Description
The ultrastructure of the self-constructed tube housing of the bioluminescent marine worm, Chaetopterus sp. reveals that the bio-nanocomposite tube comprises of multiple non-woven plies of multi-axially oriented organic nanofilaments (ø 50-1100 nm) cemented together by an unstructured organic matrix binder. The thin-walled, impermeable tubes are bio-inspirational for conventional pipe technology. Orientation distribution analyses revealed that the dominant orientation angles of nanofilaments in the tube were 0°, ± 45° and ± 65°, which correlate well with optimal winding angles for 'man-made' fibre reinforced composite pipes subjected to specific loading conditions. Such a use of high aspect ratio nanofilaments in multi-axial laminates would impart toughness and flexibility to the tube structure, and facilitate rapid tube growth. While the tube production mechanism is not entirely known at this stage, our time-lapse studies show that, contrary to generic assumptions in literature, the worm actively, rapidly and sporadically produces and expands the tube. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.
Authors & Co-Authors
Shah, Darshil U.
United Kingdom, Oxford
University of Oxford
Vollrath, Fritz
United Kingdom, Oxford
University of Oxford
Deheyn, Dimitri Dominique
United States, La Jolla
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Statistics
Citations: 12
Authors: 3
Affiliations: 2
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.msec.2014.12.015
ISSN:
09284931