Nature's metal-fortified polymers

Biological organisms utilize a remarkable range of effective strategies for building high performance materials, many of which surpass the state-of-the-art in engineered materials. Researchers from the MPIKG have discovered that some organisms, including spiders and mussels, incorporate tiny amounts of metal ions into protein-based materials to vastly improve mechanical performance (e.g. high toughness, high hardness and even self-healing). Based on this work, researchers are now developing bio-inspired metallopolymers with enhanced performance.