Biomimetic Energy-Absorbing Materials or Structures

A special issue of Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 1396

Special Issue Editor

Frontier Science Center for Extreme Mechanics and Energy, Central South University, Changsha 410072, China
Interests: composites; energy-absorbing material; impact dynamics; damage mechanics; computational mechanics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ongoing demand for more advanced materials and structures that can absorb energy efficiently has led to increased interest in biomimetic approaches. Biomimetic energy-absorbing materials and structures take inspiration from nature’s remarkable ability to manage and dissipate energy, providing innovative solutions for diverse engineering applications. This Special Issue aims to explore cutting-edge research on the design, development, and application of biomimetic materials and structures that demonstrate enhanced energy absorption capabilities.

Particularly, we are interested in energy-absorbing systems that exhibit characteristics such as adaptability, shape-morphing, tailorability, reusability, and multifunctionality. These features allow materials to adjust to varying conditions, making them ideal for applications in fields such as mechanical engineering, transportation engineering, aerospace engineering, civil engineering, ship engineering, and beyond.

Topics of Interest:

  • Design, modeling, and fabrication of biomimetic energy-absorbing materials and structures.
  • Nature-inspired adaptability and shape-morphing mechanisms for energy absorption.
  • Tailorable biomimetic structures for specific applications in mechanical, aerospace, and civil engineering.
  • Reusable and sustainable energy-absorbing materials with bioinspired designs.
  • Multifunctional materials that integrate energy absorption with other functionalities (e.g., self-healing, sensing).
  • Theoretical and experimental studies of bioinspired energy-absorbing mechanisms.
  • Impact resistance and energy dissipation in biomimetic materials.
  • Case studies applying biomimetic principles in transportation, aerospace, and ship engineering.
  • Advanced manufacturing techniques (e.g., 3D printing) for bioinspired materials.

Potential Applications: Biomimetic energy-absorbing materials and structures have broad potential applications in industries requiring advanced impact resistance and energy dissipation solutions. Examples include:

  • Mechanical and transportation engineering: bioinspired crash protection systems, adaptive impact-mitigating designs.
  • Aerospace engineering: lightweight, multifunctional materials for aerospace structures that improve safety and performance.
  • Civil engineering: adaptable structures for seismic resistance and disaster resilience in buildings and bridges.
  • Ship engineering: reusable and adaptable materials for marine impact protection, enhancing safety and durability.

Dr. Kai Liu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomimetics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bionics
  • energy absorption
  • crashworthiness
  • impact resistance
  • SEA
  • adaptability
  • tailorability
  • reusability

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 9907 KiB  
Article
Advanced Modular Honeycombs with Biomimetic Density Gradients for Superior Energy Dissipation
by Yong Dong, Jie He, Dongtao Wang, Dazhi Luo, Yanghui Zeng, Haixia Feng, Xizhen You and Lumin Shen
Biomimetics 2025, 10(4), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics10040221 - 3 Apr 2025
Viewed by 221
Abstract
The honeycomb configuration has been widely adopted in numerous sectors owing to its superior strength-to-weight ratio, rigidity, and outstanding energy absorption properties, attracting substantial academic attention and research interest. This study introduces a biomimetic modular honeycomb configuration inspired by the variable-density biological enhancement [...] Read more.
The honeycomb configuration has been widely adopted in numerous sectors owing to its superior strength-to-weight ratio, rigidity, and outstanding energy absorption properties, attracting substantial academic attention and research interest. This study introduces a biomimetic modular honeycomb configuration inspired by the variable-density biological enhancement characteristics of tree stem tissues. This study examined the out-of-plane compressive behavior and mechanical characteristics of modular honeycomb structures. A numerical model of the modular honeycomb was constructed utilizing finite element technology, enabling simulation studies at varying impact velocities. The improved weight-bearing and impact-absorbing properties of modular honeycomb structures are investigated using theoretical analysis and computer simulations. It also scrutinizes the effects of boundary and matching conditions on the honeycomb’s performance. The results indicate that adjusting the thickness of the walls in both the matrix honeycomb and sub-honeycomb structures can substantially improve their resistance to low-velocity out-of-plane compression impacts. Furthermore, the energy absorption capacity of modular honeycombs during high-velocity impacts is significantly influenced by multiple factors: the impact velocity, the density of the honeycomb structure, and the distribution of wall thickness within the sub-honeycomb and the primary honeycomb matrix. Notably, the modular honeycomb with an optimally designed structure demonstrates superior high-speed impact resistance compared to conventional honeycombs of equivalent density. These insights underscore the potential for advanced honeycomb designs to further advance material performance in structural applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Energy-Absorbing Materials or Structures)
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15 pages, 10496 KiB  
Article
A Numerical Study on the Crashworthiness of Corrugated Conical Tubes with Small Semi-Apical Angles and Their Influence Mechanism
by Yiheng Song, Qinyu Lin, Jinxiang Chen and Tidong Zhao
Biomimetics 2025, 10(1), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics10010029 - 6 Jan 2025
Viewed by 687
Abstract
To develop a new type of biomimetic single-cell and multi-cell energy-absorbing box (tube) featuring conical tubes at the intersection of cell walls, it is necessary to address the issue of large bottom-space requirements in current conical energy-absorbing tubes with superior crashworthiness due to [...] Read more.
To develop a new type of biomimetic single-cell and multi-cell energy-absorbing box (tube) featuring conical tubes at the intersection of cell walls, it is necessary to address the issue of large bottom-space requirements in current conical energy-absorbing tubes with superior crashworthiness due to their large semi-apical angles. This study proposes adding corrugations to conical tubes with small semi-apical angles and modifying the bottom by replacing the last one or two inclined corrugations with vertical ones. Finite element simulation results show that, compared to conventional conical tubes, adding corrugations reduces the optimal semi-apical angle of conical tubes by 5°, with the optimal range being 5–10°. Furthermore, the modification method of replacing inclined corrugations with vertical ones effectively mitigates the challenges of increasing peak crushing force and large end-peak crushing force as the semi-apical angle increases. This structural optimization lays a foundation for the development of new biomimetic single-cell and multi-cell energy-absorbing boxes (tubes) incorporating conical tubes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomimetic Energy-Absorbing Materials or Structures)
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