Multifunctional Hierarchical Materials: Taking Inspiration from Nature

Biological systems in nature have evolved over millions of years to adapt to environmental and ecological challenges. Nature seeks to leverage available materials with an emphasis on hierarchy and local control of microstructure to meet functional needs using the least amount of material. As such, biological systems incorporate intelligent, unique, and complex structural design concepts. Where general principles have been identified across several organisms, these have not been translated into engineered materials with similar generality. As an alternative to traditional manufacturing techniques, additive manufacturing (AM) has accelerated the growth of complex parts that can greatly expand the possibilities for bioinspired applications. This talk will describe the use of bioinspiration in two cellular, hierarchical natural systems: combs made by honeybees and a deep-sea sponge known as the “Venus Flower Basket”.

Dr. Nikhilesh Chawla is the inaugural Associate Dean for Engineering in Indianapolis and Ransburg Professor in the School of Materials Engineering at Purdue University. He joined Purdue in 2020, after previously serving as Founding Director of the Center for 4D Materials Science and Fulton Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Arizona State University. Prof. Chawla’s research is in the area Four-Dimensional (4D) materials science with a particular emphasis on the deformation behavior of advanced materials at bulk and small length scales.

This lecture was recorded and can be viewed on the Available Recordings page.