The extraordinary combination of strength and toughness attained by nature's highly sophisticated structural design in nacre has inspired the synthesis of novel nanocomposites. In this context, the organic-inorganic hierarchical design of nacre has been mimicked. However, two key features of nacre, namely the scaling of the structural components and the low content of the organic phase, have not been replicated yet. Here, we present thin nanocomposite films with properly adjusted thicknesses of the organic and inorganic layers, as well as a microstructure that closely resembles that of nacre. These films, which are obtained by the combination of low-temperature chemical bath deposition of titania with layer-by-layer assembly of polyelectrolytes, exhibit enhancement in a fracture toughness by a factor of 4, combined with notable increase in hardness, while the Young's modulus is largely preserved in comparison to the single titania layer. Our findings highlight the significance of the 10:1 inorganic/organic layer thickness ratio evolved by nature, and provide novel perspectives for the future development of efficient bioinspired thin films.

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Controlled aggregation of polymer-stabilized calcium silicate hydrate nanoparticles leads to elastic cementitious materials.

The inorganic matrix of the siliceous skeletal elements of sponges, that is, spicules, is formed of amorphous biosilica. Until a decade ago, it remained unclear how the hard biosilica monoliths of the spicules are formed in sponges that live in a silica-poor (<50 μM) aquatic environment. The following two discoveries caused a paradigm shift and allowed an elucidation of the processes underlying spicule formation; first the discovery that in the spicules only one major protein, silicatein, exists and second, that this protein displays a bio-catalytical, enzymatic function. These findings caused a paradigm shift, since silicatein is the first enzyme that catalyzes the formation of an inorganic polymer from an inorganic monomeric substrate. In the present review the successive steps, following the synthesis of the silicatein product, biosilica, and resulting in the formation of the hard monolithic spicules is given. The new insight is assumed to open new horizons in the field of biotechnology and also in biomedicine.

Low-temperature, solution-based self-assembly of vanadia nanofibers yields a free-standing, ceramic paper with an outstanding combination of high strength, stiffness, and macroscopic flexibility. Its excellent mechanical performance results from a brick-and-mortar like architecture, which combines strong covalent bonding within the single-crystalline nanofibers with an intricate hydrogen bonding network between them.

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Nowadays, research on electrochemical storage systems moves into the direction of post-lithium-ion batteries, such as aluminum-ion batteries, and the exploration of suitable materials for such batteries. Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) is one of the most promising host materials for the intercalation of multivalent ions. Here, we report on the fabrication of a binder-free and self-supporting V2O5 micrometer-thick paper-like electrode material and its use as the cathode for rechargeable aluminum-ion batteries. The electrical conductivity of the cathode was significantly improved by a novel in-situ and self-limiting copper migration approach into the V2O5 structure. This process takes advantage of the dissolution of Cu by the ionic liquid-based electrolyte, as well as the presence of two different accommodation sites in the nanostructured V2O5 available for aluminum-ions and the migrated Cu. Furthermore, the advanced nanostructured cathode delivered a specific discharge capacity of up to ~170 mAh g−1 and the reversible intercalation of Al3+ for more than 500 cycles with a high Coulomb efficiency reaching nearly 100%. The binder-free concept results in an energy density of 74 Wh kg−1, which shows improved energy density in comparison to the so far published V2O5-based cathodes. Our results provide valuable insights for the future design and development of novel binder-free and self-supporting electrodes for rechargeable multivalent metal-ion batteries associating a high energy density, cycling stability, safety and low cost.