Reveals improved impact resistance in bioinspired composites, suggesting a breakthrough for extreme protective applications.
Biological anti‐impact materials can effectively satisfy low‐to‐medium‐speed impact resistance (∼20 m/s) under natural conditions. However, extremely high‐speed impact scenarios (>100 m/s) represent the most demanding service environments in engineering practice, where dynamic embrittlement and catastrophic failure of structural materials remain long‐standing challenges. Herein, we propose a multi‐level, multi‐scale composite structure enabled by a dual bioinspired coupling design strategy, which yields exceptional impact fracture resistance and delamination tolerance. Low‐velocity impact tests demonstrate that the bioinspired structure realizes efficient energy dissipation through the synergy of multiple structural configurations, thus significantly enhancing damage tolerance. Meanwhile, the complementary combination of stiffness and toughness suppresses plastic deformation and preserves structural mechanical stability. Compared with conventional orthogonal composites, this bioinspired composite exhibits a 41.4% higher ballistic limit velocity, a 78.4% improvement in energy absorption per unit density, and reductions in delamination damage area of 45.6% and 11.5% in the sinusoidal and Bouligand regions, respectively. Under high‐speed impact loading, the cavity area, protrusion height, and backside damage area are reduced by 76.8%, 68.2%, and 80.9%, respectively. This integrated bioinspired design provides an important theoretical foundation and technical support for developing next‐generation lightweight, high‐strength, and tough composites toward critical engineering applications including aero‐engine blades.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Huang et al. (2026) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: