Well-Ordered Bicontinuous Nanohybrids from a Bottom-Up Approach for Enhanced Strength and Toughness.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 39193990.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c03157 and PMC identifier 11378333.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Biomimicking natural structures to create structural materials with superior mechanical performance is an area of extensive attention, yet achieving both high strength and toughness remains challenging. This study presents a novel bottom-up approach using self-assembled block copolymer templating to synthesize bicontinuous nanohybrids composed of well-ordered nanonetwork hydroxyapatite (HAp) embedded in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). This structuring transforms intrinsically brittle HAp into a ductile material, while hybridization with PMMA alleviates the strength reduction caused by porosity. The resultant bicontinuous PMMA/HAp nanohybrids, reinforced at the interface, exhibit high strength and toughness due to the combined effects of topology, nanosize, and hybridization. This work suggests a conceptual framework for fabricating flexible thin films with mechanical properties significantly surpassing those of traditional composites and top-down approaches.