Nanometer chitin fiber and layup of the chafer cuticle

Abstract

Most structural materials existing in nature take the form of a composite. After centuries of evolution, these materials have gained highly optimized microstructures and performance. In this work, a natural biocomposite, chafer cuticle, was observed with SEM, and it was found that the insect cuticle has a laminated structure with chitin fiber and protein matrix. Special helicoidal layups of chitin fibers were found with the chitin fiber being of nanometer scale. The relationship between the nanometer scale of the chitin fiber and the fracture strength of the cuticle was analyzed. The results show that the nanometer scale of the chitin fiber is profitable to maintain and improve the fracture strength of the biocomposite. © World Scientific Publishing Company.