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Which Is the Strongest Natural Material?

BiologyMaterials

Quick Answer

Limpet teeth are the strongest known natural material, with a tensile strength of up to 6.5 GPa — stronger than spider silk.

The Full Story

In 2015, researchers at the University of Portsmouth discovered that the teeth of common limpets (Patella vulgata) have a tensile strength of 3 to 6.5 gigapascals, surpassing spider silk (about 1.3 GPa) and comparable to the strongest man-made carbon fibres. Limpet teeth are made of goethite (an iron-based mineral) nanofibres embedded in a protein matrix. The mineral fibres are so thin (about 20-50 nanometres) that they are below the critical size for defects, giving them near-theoretical strength. Limpets use these incredibly tough teeth to scrape algae from rocks, enduring enormous abrasive forces with each bite.

Key Facts

1.Limpet tooth strength (6.5 GPa) rivals the strongest synthetic carbon fibres.
2.Spider silk, the previous record holder, has a tensile strength of about 1.3 GPa and is stronger than steel by weight.
3.Nacre (mother-of-pearl), found in mollusc shells, is about 3,000 times tougher than the aragonite mineral it is made of, thanks to its brick-and-mortar microstructure.

YouTube Angle

Suggested video title for this topic:

"The Strongest Material in Nature — And It Belongs to a Snail"