A New Ultra-Strong 3D Printed Material From MIT and the University of Genoa

In recent years, 3D printing has revolutionized the way materials are designed and made, paving the way for extraordinary innovations. One of the most promising trends is the use of biomimicry: the imitation of nature’s structures and strategies to develop advanced materials with unique properties. This has now been used to create an ultra-strong 3D printed material

The recent project comes from the University of Genoa and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston and involves 3D printing being used to develop an ultra-strong material inspired by diatoms, marine microalgae so small that they are invisible to the naked eye. Despite their size, these have remarkable properties: they can store 20 to 50 percent of the Co2 produced on Earth. But that’s not all: their protective shell has unique mechanical properties: it is the natural material with the highest strength relative to weight, and the protective structure, called a frustule, has remarkable energy-absorbing properties.

The new material was used to 3D print a protective helmet with remarkable strength

Reproducing the Structural Properties of Diatoms With 3D Printing

The diatom frustule exhibits a multi-layered hierarchical architecture with an intricate arrangement of micro- and nanopores that optimize structural strength, fluid dynamics interacting with the living organism, and sunlight absorption. Their structural organization ensures a perfect balance between lightness, strength, buoyancy, nutrient acquisition, waste expulsion and energy conversion for the sustenance of the cell. As a result, they result in an extraordinary model of multifunctional resilient material.