The tooth of a limpet, this marine gastropod with a conical shell, is nothing less than the strongest biological material known to date, reveals a new study.
So far, spider silk was considered the strongest natural material in the world (read "soon The body armor products spider silk?" On the Figaro), stronger than steel and kevlar. But spider silk has been dethroned by a new biological material even stronger: the teeth of limpets, these marine gastropods have a conical shell. A discovery made by British scientists from the University of Portsmouth.
In fact, the strength of its teeth is valuable for limpet: it is thanks to them that the limpet can "shred" effectively the surface of the rocks, in order to remove the algae to feed.
In reaching the conclusion that the teeth of the patella is the strongest biological structures in the world, professor of engineering Asa Barber (University of Portsmouth. UK) and colleagues analyzed the mechanical behavior of teeth limpet to using an atomic force microscope, a tool to visualize the surface topography of a sample to the nanometer scale.
In this work, these scientists discovered the secret of solidity teeth limpet: the presence in them of goethite, a mineral that develops gradually as the limpet grows.
This discovery could enable the development of new superhard materials. Indeed, by copying the fibrous tooth structure limpets, it might well be possible to design very solid structures used in the manufacture of cars, aircraft or boat hulls.
This work was published February 18, 2015 in the journal Interface, entitled "Extreme strength Observed in limpet teeth".
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