Biological materials found in Nature such as nacre and bone are well recognized as light‐
weight, strong, and tough structural materials. The remarkable toughness and damage …

Porous scaffolds are widely used in biomedical applications where pore size and
morphology influence a range of biological processes, including mass transfer of solutes …

Freeze-casting produces materials with complex, three-dimensional pore structures which
may be tuned during the solidification process. The range of potential applications of freeze …

The innovations of materials science and modern technologies are boosting the prosperity
of polymer composites in various emerging multi-disciplinary fields. Cooperating with the …

Bioinspired ceramics with micron-scale ceramic “bricks” bonded by a metallic “mortar” are
projected to result in higher strength and toughness ceramics, but their processing is …

Ultra-lightweight aerogels have profound applications as advanced multi-functional sound-
absorbing materials. At present, conventional aerogels are associated with pores with sizes …

Ceramics and ceramic composites are often utilised for armour applications, where light
weight and ballistic protection are essential. Recently, bio-inspired materials and …

Bio-inspired mimicking natural structures generally duplicate the three dimensional “hard
brick-and-soft mortar” structure that may overcome the intrinsic brittleness of the brick …

Freeze casting has proven to be a versatile processing route to fabricate bio-inspired (“nacre-
like”) hybrid composites that exhibit unique combinations of strength and toughness …

There is a growing interest in the development of composites with complex structures
designed to generate enhanced mechanical properties. The challenge is how to implement …