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Mechanics of Arthropod Cuticle-Versatility by Structural and Compositional Variation

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Architectured Materials in Nature and Engineering

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Materials Science ((SSMATERIALS,volume 282))

Abstract

The arthropod cuticle may be seen as a multifunctional material displaying a wide range of physical properties. The materials properties of the cuticle are brought about by compositional and structural gradients at multiple hierarchical levels. In the following chapter we first discuss the main components of the cuticle, namely, chitin, proteins, water, mineral and tanning agents and their relevance in determining the mechanical properties of the cuticle. We then describe the hierarchical organization of the cuticle and how it contributes to tuning the mechanical properties of the material. Finally we show several examples of cuticular structures with increasing structural complexity to exemplify the discussed principles.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomaterials, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14424, Potsdam, Germany

    Yael Politi

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84105, Beer Sheva, Israel

    Benny Bar-On

  3. Department Microstructure Physics and Alloy Design, Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH, Max-Planck-Straße 1, 40237, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Helge-Otto Fabritius

Authors
  1. Yael Politi
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  2. Benny Bar-On
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  3. Helge-Otto Fabritius
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Correspondence to Yael Politi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Yuri Estrin

  2. SIMAP, Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble, Saint-Martin d’Hères, France

    Yves Bréchet

  3. Department of Chemistry and Physics of Materials, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria

    John Dunlop

  4. Department of Biomaterials, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, Germany

    Peter Fratzl

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Politi, Y., Bar-On, B., Fabritius, HO. (2019). Mechanics of Arthropod Cuticle-Versatility by Structural and Compositional Variation. In: Estrin, Y., Bréchet, Y., Dunlop, J., Fratzl, P. (eds) Architectured Materials in Nature and Engineering. Springer Series in Materials Science, vol 282. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11942-3_10

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