Multifunctionality of chiton biomineralized armor with an integrated visual system

Ling Li¹, Matthew J Connors², Mathias Kolle³, Grant T England⁴, Daniel I Speiser⁵, Xianghui Xiao⁶, Joanna Aizenberg⁷, Christine Ortiz⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA. John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
² Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA.
³ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
⁴ John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
⁵ Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
⁶ Experimental Facilities Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA.
⁷ John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
⁸ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA. cortiz@mit.edu.

PMID: 26586760
DOI: 10.1126/science.aad1246

Multifunctionality of chiton biomineralized armor with an integrated visual system

Ling Li et al. Science. 2015.

. 2015 Nov 20;350(6263):952-6.

doi: 10.1126/science.aad1246.

Authors

Ling Li¹, Matthew J Connors², Mathias Kolle³, Grant T England⁴, Daniel I Speiser⁵, Xianghui Xiao⁶, Joanna Aizenberg⁷, Christine Ortiz⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA. John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
² Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA.
³ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
⁴ John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
⁵ Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
⁶ Experimental Facilities Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA.
⁷ John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
⁸ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA. cortiz@mit.edu.

PMID: 26586760
DOI: 10.1126/science.aad1246

Abstract

Nature provides a multitude of examples of multifunctional structural materials in which trade-offs are imposed by conflicting functional requirements. One such example is the biomineralized armor of the chiton Acanthopleura granulata, which incorporates an integrated sensory system that includes hundreds of eyes with aragonite-based lenses. We use optical experiments to demonstrate that these microscopic lenses are able to form images. Light scattering by the polycrystalline lenses is minimized by the use of relatively large, crystallographically aligned grains. Multiscale mechanical testing reveals that as the size, complexity, and functionality of the integrated sensory elements increase, the local mechanical performance of the armor decreases. However, A. granulata has evolved several strategies to compensate for its mechanical vulnerabilities to form a multipurpose system with co-optimized optical and structural functions.

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Biomaterials. Crystalline eyes of chitons inspire materials scientists.
Pennisi E. Pennisi E. Science. 2015 Nov 20;350(6263):899. doi: 10.1126/science.350.6263.899. Science. 2015. PMID: 26586742 No abstract available.

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Multifunctionality of chiton biomineralized armor with an integrated visual system

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Multifunctionality of chiton biomineralized armor with an integrated visual system

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