Bioinspired materials with self-adaptable mechanical behaviors*

Nature produces outstanding biomaterials for structural applications such as bones and woods that can adapt to their surrounding environment. However, it is a challenge for synthetic materials to change and adapt their structures and properties to address the changes in loading conditions. To overcome the issue, we have investigated synthetic materials inspired by bone that trigger mineral syntheses from ionic solutions on scaffolds upon mechanical loadings so that they can self-adapt to mechanical loadings. For example, we observed a 30-180% increase in the modulus of the material upon different magnitudes of periodic loadings. Moreover, the mechanism allows a one-step route for making graded materials by controlling stress distribution along the scaffold. The findings can contribute to addressing the current challenges of synthetic materials for load-bearing applications from self-adaptive capabilities.