Chitin, a fascinating biopolymer found in living organisms, fulfills current demands of
availability, sustainability, biocompatibility, biodegradability, functionality, and renewability …

Biological materials are typically multifunctional but many have evolved to optimize a chief
mechanical function. These functions include impact or fracture resistance, armor and …

Since nearly all adult insects fly, the cuticle has to provide a very efficient and lightweight
skeleton. Information is available about the mechanical properties of cuticle—Young's …

Different regions of an insect cuticle have different mechanical properties, partly due to
different degrees of stabilization and hardening occurring during the process of …

▪ Abstract Oak gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae, Cynipini) are characterized by
possession of complex cyclically parthenogenetic life cycles and the ability to induce a wide …

In nature, tiny amounts of inorganic impurities, such as metals, are incorporated in the
protein structures of some biomaterials and lead to unusual mechanical properties of those …

Insects are the most ecologically important multicellular heterotrophs in terrestrial systems.
They play critical roles in ecological food webs, remain devastating agricultural and medical …

The cuticle of arthropods (jointed-limb animals), and especially of insects is, by biological
standards, a relatively simple composite. It is a single external layer of material forming the …

We measured hardness, modulus of elasticity, and, for the first time, loss tangent, energy of
fracture, abrasion resistance, and impact resistance of zinc-and manganese-enriched …

The remarkable mechanical performance of biological materials is based on intricate
structure–function relationships. Nanoindentation has become the primary tool for …