Abstract
AbstractBulk materials with remarkable mechanical properties have been developed by incorporating design principles of biological nacre into synthetic composites. However, this potential has not yet been fully leveraged for the fabrication of tough and strong materials that are also optically transparent. In this work, a manufacturing route that enables the formation of nacre‐like mineral bridges in a bioinspired composite consisting of glass platelets infiltrated with an index‐matching polymer matrix is developed. By varying the pressure applied during compaction of the glass platelets, composites with tunable levels of mineral bridges and platelet interconnectivity can be easily fabricated. The effect of platelet interconnectivity on the mechanical strength and fracture behavior of the bioinspired composites is investigated by performing state‐of‐the‐art fracture experiments combined with in situ electron microscopy. The results show that the formation of interconnections between platelets leads to bulk transparent materials with an unprecedented combination of strength and fracture toughness. This unusual set of properties can potentially fulfill currently unmet demands in electronic displays and related technologies.
Highlights
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A manufacturing route that enables the formation of nacre-like mineral bridges in a bioinspired composite consisting of glass platelets infiltrated with an strength and optical transparency are properties that are usually difficult to reconcile in single homogeneous materials
Introduction alities in bulk parts that cannot be achieved using single material classes. Biological composites, such as bone, Strong and transparent materials are useful in a myriad of wood, and mollusk shells are striking examples of how building applications, from displays in electronic devices and fibers in blocks with rather weak intrinsic properties can be assembled into hierarchical structures with multiple unique functionali
Summary
Transparent nacre-like composites are fabricated by a multistep process involving well-established manufacturing technologies (Figure 1a). The high maximum toughness achieved is combined with a two-fold increase in the fracture strength of the composite in comparison to our previously reported nacre-like transparent material This strengthening effect arises from the incorporation of mineral bridges between the glass platelets. The transmittance level achieved within the visible wavelength range is comparable to that previously reported for glass-reinforced nacre-like composites without mineral bridges (Figure 4f) This demonstrates that the incorporation of interconnections between the platelets improves the fracture strength of the composite significantly without sacrificing the transparency of the material. Optical measurements on composites with distinct χ/χ0 values reveal that a 1.5-fold increase in platelet interconnectivity enhances up to 10% the total diffuse transmittance of the material (Figure S1, Supporting Information) This effect could arise from the fact that part of the platelet-matrix interface is replaced by glass– glass connections in composites with higher χ/χ0 levels. This condition can potentially be fulfilled by utilizing commercially-available silicones instead of oil as the index-matching medium.[32,33,34] Such experimental demonstration highlights the direct applicability of the investigated composites in display applications
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