TU Wien, University of Vienna Define Sea Worm Jaws as New Bio-Metal Class
Updated
Updated · SciTechDaily · Jul 19
TU Wien, University of Vienna Define Sea Worm Jaws as New Bio-Metal Class
2 articles · Updated · SciTechDaily · Jul 19
Summary
Researchers at TU Wien and the University of Vienna say the jaws of the sea worm Perinereis cultrifera fit a proposed new natural material class, “bio-metals,” after tests found metal-like mechanical behavior.
Nanoindentation, chemical analysis and imaging showed metal ions are concentrated at the jaw tips, helping explain their high hardness for biting and crushing prey.
The jaws also displayed the Nix-Gao size effect seen in metals such as copper and silver: at smaller scales, the material became harder to dent.
Unlike standard crystalline metals, the worm jaws showed size-dependent elasticity, a trait the team argues distinguishes bio-metals and modeled at the atomic level.
The findings, published July 14 in Biophysics Reviews, set up further work on other species and on whether genetic changes can alter these protein-ion materials.