Spider silk was the record-holder as the strongest ever naturally occurring material, but it looks like a new winner has been found.
Limpet teeth are now the strongest biological material on earth, which means another potential tool that can be used when constructing vehicles has surfaced, according to the publication CS Monitor.
For those who don’t know, limpets are sea snails that use their tiny teeth to scrape food off of rocks, which is why their teeth are so strong, according to the Digital Journal. The material of limpet teeth reportedly has the strength of 5 gigapascal, which is five times the strength of most spider silks.
“People are always trying to find the next strongest thing, but spider silk has been the winner for quite a few years now. So we were quite happy that the limpet teeth exceeded that,” the study’s lead author Asa Barber told BBC News.
The amount of weight limpet teeth can withstand is reportedly relative to a strand of spaghetti used to hold up 3,300 pounds. Scientists are already thinking of ways to use the material for planes, boats and even dental fillings.
“Biology is a great source of inspiration as an engineer,” stated Barber.
The professor added, “These teeth are made up of very small fibres, put together in a particular way — and we should be thinking about making our own structures following the same design principles.”
The findings of the recent research, which have been published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, reportedly include that limpet teeth retain their strength no matter the size. This is rare.
Usually, the larger the structure, the more flaws it contains, which reportedly makes the material weaker.
The teeth of the sea snails are also reportedly lighter than any other natural material that’s been found.
“It’s about translating design principles found in limpets to form structures that are strong, yet light,” explained Barber.
He continued, “For the next five or ten years, this is the challenge.”
