Design of Complex Biomimetic Nanocomposites: Graph Theory*

Materials that are multifunctional, structurally versatile, and resource conscious, represent the critical bottlenecks of nearly all modern technologies -- the qualities typical of components of many living tissues. Although the notion of Nature-inspired materials is known for hundreds of years, the true challenges for transition from superficial replication some geometrical parameters to property-driven biomimetic materials design become fully appreciated only lately. Perhaps, the central one among these challenges is the multiplicity of scales enumeration of the complex structure of the biomimetic composites in a manner suitable for the property optimization.

Taking as example the aramid nanofiber composites and organic-inorganic chiral supraparticles, we took a path to relate the essential materials properties to Graph Theory (GT) description of these materials. The GT representation of the composites can be established using scanning electron microscopy images. Young’s modulus, toughness, and ion transport were found to correlate with GT indices, which enabled their optimization for application in energy technology and robotics. Similar approach applied to the description of chiral supraparticles enabled rigorous evaluation of their complexity and their connection to optical properties.

References
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