Inspired by the seashell, protective material developed

Scientists announced that they have developed an environmentally friendly coating inspired by seashells. The new material developed can be used as a protective layer for spacecraft or fusion facilities, thanks to its cheap, strong, light and heat resistant material.

Cheap and durable

Consisting of alternating layers of organic and inorganic material, seashells inspired a new material. Sandia National Laboratories researchers have developed a new protective material with a method that resembles the process of forming seashells.

In the developed material, organic layers contain carbon black produced from burnt sugar, while inorganic layers consist of silica. Thanks to its intermediate products, the material with a layered structure can protect the lower layers from a pressure on the surface of the material.

The material offers a hardness of more than 11 GPa and an elastic modulus of 120 GPa and was able to withstand temperatures of more than 1150 °C in tests. The researchers estimate that the material can maintain its thermally stable structure up to 1650°C.

The new environmentally friendly protective material can be produced much cheaper than similar materials. The team says that 5cm squared of the material could be produced for 25 cents.

Material While providing an effective method of protecting satellites against space debris, the ability to withstand the launch temperatures of spacecraft provides an important advantage. The team also states that the material could be used in their experimental electromagnetic wave generator, called the Z Machine, and to improve shielding for other fusion reactors.