Tough Abalone Coatings for Airplanes

Lightweight Ceramic Coatings Based on Abalone Shells Could Form Tough Armor for Airplanes

The material that lines abalone shells, called nacre, has been of particular interest for developing new composites: it's lightweight and strong, yet shatter-resistant. But mimicking the microscale structures responsible for its properties has been difficult, and hasn't resulted in materials that can be manufactured on a large scale.

Researchers at the Helsinki University of Science and Technology mixed disc-shaped clay platelets with a soft polymer, polyvinyl alcohol, and water, which created a slurry that could either become paper or paint. The resulting lightweight armor resembles nacre with a structure consisting of nanoclay discs stacked in rows similar to plates in a cupboard, Technology Review notes.

Such material acts as a superb reinforcing armor that adds very little extra weight, but cannot yet replace steel as the main structural support for building beams or engine turbines. But there's an additional plus from the current version, because it shrugs off the heat and fire from flamethrowers with ease.

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