Oscar F. Aguilar Gutierrez, Alejandro D. Rey*
Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.4, No.4, pp. 241-250, 2016, DOI:10.7569/JRM.2016.634119
Abstract Biological plywoods are solid analogues of liquid crystalline phases whose building blocks, including cellulose, collagen and chitin, present multifunctionality, providing in some cases protection, camouflage, self-healing and/or adaptability to the surrounding environment. The 3D ordered structure is the main factor for these fascinating properties, and the assessment of the structure-property relationship will be a powerful tool in terms of future material design and innovation. Cross-section observations lead to characteristic patterns depending on the specific arrangement of the plywood’s building blocks. Twisted plywood architectures, known as the Bouligand structure, lead to the widely observed arced patterns… More >