ABSTRACT
The „eld of biomimetic materials synthesis has grown quickly in recent years, in that scientists and engineers in nonbiological „elds have increasingly been relying on natural biological materials for inspiration. There has been particular interest by materials scientists in the development of biomimetic materials based on nanocomposites found in nature, including nacre (seashell), eggshell, bone, tooth tissues, and hydrated soft tissues. In addition to the interest in bioinspired materials themselves, there is great interest in imitating the synthesis routes that allow for processing of ceramic-based materials at room temperature and pressure. Problems in technology are typically solved by engineers with the addition of large quantities of energy, in stark contrast to nature’s low-energy solutions (Vincent et al., 2006). For this reason, biomimetic processing routes, such as templated biomineral formation on an organic matrix, have potential uses beyond the realm of biomimicking materials. Of course, the two are intimately linked: the materials themselves and the properties they possess arise from the unique processing routes through which the materials are formed. Overall, the performance of these materials “in the wild” is a function of the structure-properties relationships they possess and the processing routes from which they arise, and these four elements (structure, processing, properties, and performance) form the basis of the fundamental paradigm of materials science and thus presents an ideal framework in which to examine natural materials and biomimicry.
