Hierarchical structures, spanning multiple length scales from nano- to macroscales, are very common in nature; but only in recent years have they been systematically studied in materials science, in order to understand the specific effects they can have on the mechanical properties of various systems.

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Bone, for example, combines soft organic collagen material and hard crystal phases in an organized multi-level structure: Hierarchical structure of bone.

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This structural hierarchy in materials can play a major part in determining the bulk material properties. “The ability of natural systems to spontaneously self-assemble into complex, hierarchical, multifunctional structures provides an intriguing inspiration to create biomimetic hierarchical structures,” Jen-Yu Huang, a PhD Candidate at Cornell University’s Robert Fredrick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, tells Nanowerk. ”

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Analogous hierarchical assembly strategies in synthetic systems (e.g., metal-organic frameworks) have […]

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