The stomatopod dactyl club : a formidable damage-tolerant biological hammer

• Main Authors: Weaver, James C., Milliron, Garrett W., Mershon, William J., DiMasi, Elaine, Kisailus, David, Miserez, Ali, Evans-Lutterodt, Kenneth, Herrera, Steven, Gallana, Isaias, Swanson, Brook, Zavattieri, Pablo
• Other Authors: School of Materials Science & Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/97274; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/10404
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Nature has evolved efficient strategies to synthesize complex mineralized structures that exhibit exceptional damage tolerance. One such example is found in the hypermineralized hammer-like dactyl clubs of the stomatopods, a group of highly aggressive marine crustaceans. The dactyl clubs from one species, Odontodactylus scyllarus, exhibit an impressive set of characteristics adapted for surviving high-velocity impacts on the heavily mineralized prey on which they feed. Consisting of a multiphase composite of oriented crystalline hydroxyapatite and amorphous calcium phosphate and carbonate, in conjunction with a highly expanded helicoidal organization of the fibrillar chitinous organic matrix, these structures display several effective lines of defense against catastrophic failure during repetitive high-energy loading events.