Mechanical properties, microstructure and chemical composition of naked mole rat incisors

Abstract

The naked mole rat incisors (NMRI) exhibit excellent mechanical properties, which make it a good prototype for design and fabrication of bionic mechanical systems and materials. In this work, we characterised the chemical composition, microstructure and mechanical properties of NMRI, and further compared these properties with the laboratory rat incisors (LRI). We found out that (i) Enamel and dentin are composed of organic matter, inorganic matter and water. The ratio of Ca/P in NMRI enamel is higher than that of LRI enamel. (ii) The dentin has a porous structure. The enamel has a three-dimensional reticular structure, which is more complex, regular and denser than the lamellar structure of LRI enamel. (iii) Enamel has anisotropy. Its longitudinal nano-hardness is greater than that of transverse nano-hardness, and both of them are higher than that of LRI enamel. Their nano-hardness and elastic modulus increase with the increase in distance from enamel-dentin boundary. The nano-hardness of dentin is smaller than that of enamel. The chemical composition and microstructure are considered to be the reasons for the excellent properties of NMRI. The chemical composition and unique microstructure can provide inspiration and guide for the design of bionic machinery and materials.