| Abstract Scope |
From the material science point of view, the materials occurring in different plant and animal species hold a plethora of secrets on how to improve their global mechanical properties by creative microstructure, hierarchical ordering, and chemistry. However, for further development of nature’s ideas, a quantitative measurement of various properties is needed. A suitable way to asses material’s mechanical properties is nanoindentation. Presented work consists of examples of nanoindentation of a plant seed pod (Tribulus terrestris, referred to as “goathead”) and nanoindentation of two scorpion species’ stingers (Buthidae Centruroides platnicki and Diplocentridae Nebo whitei). On the example sets, the issues regarding the sample preparation, testing and results analysis are summarized alongside the discoveries of clever microstructural designs. The scorpion stingers exhibited strong sensitivity on the sample preparation, but revealed interesting material properties gradients, regardless of chemical compositions. The goatheads showed expectable synergy of lightweight straw-like structures with columnar microstructural ordering. |