World’s Strongest Natural Material

For years, spider silk has been regarded as the strongest known natural material, but British researchers have discovered a new substance that is even more durable – a hard mineral known as goethite. The material is found in the teeth of limpets – small, snail-like aquatic creatures that use their tiny, but strong, teeth to remove algae from rock surfaces.

In another example of “bioinspiration” (making structures based on natural designs), the researchers used atomic force microscopy to examine the mechanical behavior of limpet teeth at the atomic level. They discovered that the fibers make up a resilient structure which exhibits the same strength regardless of size. This is unlike many materials in which increased size generally increases the number of flaws and, therefore, reduces strength.

These fibrous structurescan be copied to create lighter, more resilient materials for many applications including race car bodies, ship hulls and aircraft bodies.