i) Armored catfish, Pterygoplichthys
pardalis
According to Ebenstein et al. (2015), the
Pterygoplichthys Pardalis armored catsfish has arrow shape (sandwitch-like
structure) dermal plates cover their body to protect them from sharp tooth
penetration caused by other predators. He studied the mechanical, chemical and
structural properties of the P. pardalis by using tools like differential
scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscope (SEM)/energy
dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Nanoindentation
analysis and statistical analaysis. All these scientific tools are generally
explained by the author in the Journal. The interested parts are, unlike most
of the common fish have elasmoid fish scales, P. pardalis have a three
dimensional “V” shape of dermal plates that 15 mm in length and 1.5 mm in
thickness. Below figure shows the Hierarchical structure of the dermal armor of
P. pardalis which are provided in the journal. The skin under the exterior
protection layer (Dermal Plate) has a smooth texture, meanwhile the dermal
plates are covered with the tooth-like elements called tubercles to protect
against predators. Song et al. (2010) also reported that the tubercles have
both penetration resistance and hydrodynamics ability.
Figure 1. Hierarchical
structure of the dermal armor of P. pardalis.
Dermal armour enables lightweight,
flexible and tough ability to the common fish. However, in P. pardalis, the
overlapping layers of arrow shape dermal plates containing porous inner matrix
which provide toughening mechanism and flexibility that absorbing energy to
prevent fracture of the outer lamellar layers. This overlapping structure is
also implemented in some military armour due to its lightweight and flexibility.
In conclusion, dermal plates provides different protection mechanism such as
prevent predator tooth penetration, meanwhile porous inner matrix playing roles
that absorbing energy from an attack and increase the fracture toughness
(prevent fracture) of the dermal plates (Ebenstein, Calderon, Troncoso, & Torres, 2015).
ii) Shark’s
Skin
By studying the microscopic structure of
shark’s skin, it has been found that the surface of the shark skin is formed
with many micro-riblets. Upon investigation, it is concluded that the
micro-riblets, when aligned in the local flow direction, aid in the drag
reduction of the shark hence enabling the shark to be one of the fastest fish
in the sea. While aligned in the local flow direction, the micro-riblets acts
in a way that it will reduces wall shear stress by altering the distribution of
the flow field. Figure below shows the microscopic image of the shark skin with
micro-riblets covering the surface.
Figure 2: microscopic
image of the shark skin. (Ltd, 2015)
This phenomenon discovered by scientist
has since been widely applied at the fuselage of aircrafts and outer surface of
ships as it will reduce the drag experienced by the aircrafts and ships while
moving through medium such as air or water. By doing so, less power will be
needed by both transportation methods and energy could be saved. To put it into
perspective, this application will not just save the cost of the transportation
by reducing the fuel needed, but also eco-friendly to the environment as less
pollutant will be emitted by the engines of both the ships and the aircrafts.
Zhao et al. have performed a vacuum casting to replicate the micro-riblets of
the shark skin. Through experiment, the prototype shows a promising 9.7% to
18.6% of drag reduction. The same technology was also adopted in the design and
fabrication of the Speedo swimming suit. Through the biomimetic of a shark skin
like swimsuit, Speedo claims that their Fastskin LZR Racer Elite 2 will have a
6% reduction in drag, which will increase the swimming speed of the swimmer.
Figure 3. Fastskin LZR
Racer Elite 2 (Anon., 2015)
iii) Sharklet
In
general conception, Sharklet is simply a type of plastic specifically designed
to impede bacterial growth. This biomimicry based invention serves great
purpose on fields with relatively high potential for bacterial infection such
as the hospital. Serving its purpose upon impeding bacterial growth, the
Sharklet could be measured as a successful method in purging out the spread of
infection.
The
inspiration came from observing the Galapagos Shark which does not exhibit
signs of being inhibited by barnacle or microscopic algae upon the skin’s
surface. Further study shows that the key lies in within the unique skin
pattern under microscopic observation which consists of repetitive diamond
shaped scales stacked partially amongst each other. Figure 1 portrays visual
illustration of the shark’s skin pattern under microscopic pattern.
Figure 4. Microscopic
image of Sharklet pattern
Figure 5. Microscopic
image of Sharklet pattern.
Under
close observations, it has been discovered that these dermal denticles possess
different gradients at a nanoscopic scale, inducing stress gradient upon the
lateral surface during initial contact. This simple yet effective mechanism
causes the foreign microscopic cells to experience disruption when attempting
to settle due to the high requirement of energy needed to be expanded in order
to equalize the stresses induced from the fluctuated gradient pattern. So to
speak, a large amount of energy is required to inhibit on the surface which was
thus deem unfavourable by the settler; from the result of poor thermodynamic
efficiency, resulting it to search for an alternate surface with better
compatibility to synergise with.
A
study done by May et al. shows that the efficiency for these micro-patterned
surface demonstrated the ability to reduce bacterial colonization up to 99.9%
compared to an un-patterned surface. The
aforementioned technology harvested from the holistic approach of biomimicry
not only saved precious time and resource for R&D to solve one of the many
issues mankind currently faced, but also deemed friendly towards the
environment, human and cost efficient as the plastic material currently being
widely used would receive minor modifications in terms of surface pattern
implementation with varying gradients which is visible under microscopic
observation. This breakthrough would be believed as a staggering contribution
within the human association in preventing the spread of disease and promote a
hygienic society for a better future.
iv) Arapaima Gigas
Figure 6. Arapaima Gigas
Arapaima Gigas is
known as one of the biggest freshwater fishes in the world which can be found
in the Amazonian region, reaching a length of 2-2.5m and a mass of over 150kg.
Biomimicry of Arapaima’s scales could use to develop new ceramics for armor and
panels due to their high toughness and flexibility. The maximum tensile strength
and Young’s modulus of the Arapaima’s scales are found to be 53.86Mpa and
1.38Gpa respectively (Torres,
Troncoso, Nakamatsu, Grande, & Gómez, 2008.
Besides, XRD and FTIR show that the scales are formed by collagen fibres
reinforced with a mineral phase of calcium deficient hydroxyapatite. The
morphology of the Arapaima Scales show a plywood pattern of collagen layers
co-aligned within each individual layer rotating at angles of around 90°
between each layer.
Figure 7. Hierarchical
structure of the Arapaima gigas scales.
The Arapaima gigas scales have an outer
layer that is highly mineralized where the inner layer is a laminate composite
of collagen fibers which are formed by fibrils (Lin, Wei, Olevsky, & Meyers,
2011).
Ceramic surfaces of constant thickness are strained when forced to follow a
curved surface, but the grooves allow the scales to be bent more easily without
cracking. The corrugations, the soft but tough
internal layer and the hydration of the scales all contribute to their ability
to flex while remaining strong. It’s an engineering solution that lets the fish
remain mobile while heavily armored, and also allows the scales to bend and
deform considerably before breaking.
References:
Ebenstein, D., Calderon, C., Troncoso, O. P., &
Torres, F. G. (2015). Characterization of dermal plates from armored catfish
Pterygoplichthys pardalis reveals sandwich-like nanocomposite structure. Journal
of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 45, 175–182.
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2015.02.002
Ltd, M. M.,
2015. Insight for the european commercial marine business. [Online]
Available at: http://www.maritimejournal.com/ [Accessed 29 April 2015].
Available at: http://www.maritimejournal.com/ [Accessed 29 April 2015].
Lin, Y. S., Wei, C. T., Olevsky, E. a., & Meyers,
M. a. (2011). Mechanical properties and the laminate structure of Arapaima
gigas scales. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials,
4(7), 1145–1156. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2011.03.024
Torres, F. G., Troncoso, O. P., Nakamatsu, J., Grande,
C. J., & Gómez, C. M. (2008). Characterization of the nanocomposite
laminate structure occurring in fish scales from Arapaima Gigas. Materials
Science and Engineering C, 28(8), 1276–1283.
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.msec.2007.12.001
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