Using synchrotron-based 3D X-ray tomography with sub-micron resolution, researchers visualized how the capping tissue transitions from bone and achieves extreme mechanical performance. Surprisingly, the tissue is composed of large hydroxyapatite crystals with minimal orientation, unlike enamel which relies on highly aligned crystals. This nearly isotropic structure offers a new pathway to achieving hardness and durability in biological materials.
This discovery is a striking example of biomimicry, where nature’s design principles inspire new materials. The lizard’s capping tissue shows that hardness can be achieved without traditional structural alignment, opening new possibilities for designing resilient synthetic materials for engineering and biomedical use.
The research was made possible through DTU’s involvement in DanMAX, which is a Danish beamline co-developed and operated by institutions including DTU 3D Imaging Center. DanMAX is designed for cutting-edge materials research, combining X-ray diffraction, fluorescence mapping, and 3D tomography—techniques that were crucial in revealing the tissue’s internal structure and composition.
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