Siliceous skeleton provides support: Venus flower basket

Skeleton of sponge provides strength with lightweight material via its siliceous composition.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

	Maintain physical integrity >
	Prevent structural failure >
	Buckling

Biomimetic Application Ideas

Building stronger structures with minimal materials; building wind-resistant structures; fracture-resistant materials; architecture that aids ventilation; fiber-optics; making high performance ceramics; self-assembly processes.

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[Collapse all sections] Summary

"Despite its inherent mechanical fragility, silica is widely used as a skeletal material in a great diversity of organisms ranging from diatoms and radiolaria to sponges and higher plants. In addition to their micro- and nanoscale structural regularity, many of these hard tissues form complex hierarchically ordered composites. One such example is found in the siliceous skeletal system of the Western Pacific hexactinellid sponge, Euplectella aspergillum. In this species, the skeleton comprises an elaborate cylindrical lattice-like structure with at least six hierarchical levels spanning the length scale from nanometers to centimeters. The basic building blocks are laminated skeletal elements (spicules) that consist of a central proteinaceous axial filament surrounded by alternating concentric domains of consolidated silica nanoparticles and organic interlayers. Two intersecting grids of non-planar cruciform spicules define a locally quadrate, globally cylindrical skeletal lattice that provides the framework onto which other skeletal constituents are deposited. The grids are supported by bundles of spicules that form vertical, horizontal and diagonally ordered struts. The overall cylindrical lattice is capped at its upper end by a terminal sieve plate and rooted into the sea floor at its base by a flexible cluster of barbed fibrillar anchor spicules. External diagonally oriented spiral ridges that extend perpendicular to the surface further strengthen the lattice. A secondarily deposited laminated silica matrix that cements the structure together additionally reinforces the resulting skeletal mass. The mechanical consequences of each of these various levels of structural complexity are discussed." (Weaver et al. 2007:93)

About the inspiring organism

Venus flower basket (sponge)
Euplectella aspergillum Owen, 1841

IUCN Red List Status: Unknown
Habitat(s): Marine Oceanic

Some organism data provided by: Porifera: World Porifera Database
Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Building stronger structures with minimal materials; building wind-resistant structures; fracture-resistant materials; architecture that aids ventilation; fiber-optics; making high performance ceramics; self-assembly processes.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Construction, communications, manufacturing

Swiss Re building -

Experts

The Aizenberg Biomineralization and Biomimetics Lab
Joanna Aizenberg
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University

References

Weaver, James C.; Aizenberg, Joanna; Fantner, Georg E.; Kisailus, David; Woesz, Alexander; Allen, Peter; Fields, Kirk; Porter, Michael J.; Zok, Frank W.; Hansma, Paul K.; Fratzl, Peter; Morse, Daniel E. 2007. Hierarchical assembly of the siliceous skeletal lattice of the hexactinellid sponge Euplectella aspergillum. Journal of Structural Biology. 158(1): 93-106.

Siliceous skeleton provides support: Venus flower basket

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