| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2021 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Biological Materials Science
|
| Presentation Title |
On the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Aprismatic Enamel in Crocodilian Teeth |
| Author(s) |
Jack Grimm, Cameron Renteria, Savannah Camacho, Xitlalit Sanchez-Martinez, Dwayne Arola |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Jack Grimm |
| Abstract Scope |
The enamel of mammalian teeth is a remarkable biological material that is renowned for its ability to resist fracture over millions of masticatory cycles over the animal’s lifetime. This excellent performance arises from the complex hierarchical structure, which involves the hydroxyapatite (HA) nanocrystals (~50nm diameter), their assembly into rods (~5μm), and their decussating structure. Reptilian enamel, particularly that of crocodilians, is ‘aprismatic,’ meaning that it consists of nanocrystalline HA without the complimentary higher levels of hierarchy. The structure of reptilian enamel provides a means for understanding the importance of one isolated level of hierarchy on toughness, and additional inspiration for the design of synthetic materials. The present effort is focused on understanding the mechanical properties of crocodilian enamel through nanoindentation, nanoscratch, indentation fracture toughness, and in-situ microcantilevers milled by focused ion beam (FIB). A comparison of the properties is made with those of human enamel at the same hierarchical level. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |