Under the atomic microscope, the ant’s teeth are as sharp as a scalpel

Have you ever thought that tiny creatures can cut, pierce or cause stinging so easily? A new study shows that ants, worms, spiders and other tiny creatures have a set of built-in tools.
This is any carpenter or surgeon Would be envious

A recent study published in Scientific Reports showed for the first time how zinc atoms are arranged to maximize cutting efficiency and keep these delicately constructed tiny animal tools sharp
.
A collaboration between a research team from the University of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) of the U.

Bitten by ants

Think about the teeth of ants
.
Yes, ants have teeth.

Robert Schofield, an associate professor at the University of Oregon who led the research, has been fascinated by these special biological tools for decades
.
His team of biophysicists has developed a technique that can measure hardness, elasticity, fracture energy, abrasion resistance, and impact resistance on a microscale

But they can't really see the structure of the materials that make up ants' teeth and other microscopic animal tools, especially on the atomic scale
.
This is the work of PNNL materials scientist Arun Devaraj and PhD intern Xiaoyue Wang

Using this technique, Devaraj and Wang recorded the nanoscale distribution of zinc atoms in ant teeth for the first time
.

Devaraj said: "We can see that zinc is evenly distributed in the teeth, which is a surprise
.
We originally expected that zinc would accumulate in nano-nodules

The research team estimates that because these biological materials are sharper, they can use 60% or less of force if their tools are made of materials similar to human teeth

Schofield said: "Human engineers can also learn from this biological technique
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For example, the hardness of ant teeth increases from the hardness of plastic to the hardness of aluminum with zinc

Devaraj added that learning from nature is a way to understand what makes materials stronger and more resistant to damage
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Currently, he is using the Early Career Award from the U.
S.
Department of Energy to study the principles of making certain materials strong and resistant to destruction on the atomic scale
.
He said: "By studying the microstructure of steel on the atomic scale, we can better understand how changes in material composition change its resistance to damage, especially stress corrosion resistance and changes over time
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This is important for designing like nuclear power plants.
Structures that need to withstand decades of aging are especially important
.
"

DOI

10.
1038 / s41598-021-91795-y