Biological and bioinspired materials: Structure leading to functional and mechanical performance

Nature has achieved materials with properties and mechanisms that go far beyond the current know-how of the engineering-materials industry. The remarkable efficiency of biological materials, such as their exceptional properties that rely on weak constituents, high performance per unit mass, and diverse functionalities in addition to mechanical properties, has been mostly attributed to their hierarchical structure. Key strategies for bioinspired materials include formulating the fundamental understanding of biological materials that act as inspiration, correlating this fundamental understanding to engineering needs/problems, and fabricating hierarchically structured materials with enhanced properties accordingly. The vast, existing literature on biological and bioinspired materials can be discussed in terms of functional and mechanical aspects. Through essential representative properties and materials, the development of bioinspired materials utilizes the design strategies from biological systems to innovatively augment material performance for various practical applications, such as marine, aerospace, medical, and civil engineering. Despite the current challenges, bioinspired materials have become an important part in promoting innovations and breakthroughs in the modern materials industry.