Science Daily  July 25, 2022 Protein based composites, such as nacre and bone, show astounding evolutionary capabilities, including tunable physical properties. These composites become insensitive to flaws as soon as the structural size reaches a critical length. A team of researchers in the US (Pennsylvania State University, Brown University) studied the assembly of atomistically thin inorganic sheets with genetically engineered polymeric proteins to achieve mechanically compliant and ultra-tough materials. Although bare inorganic nanosheets are brittle, they designed flexible composites with proteins, which are insensitive to flaws due to critical structural length scale (∼2 nm). These proteins, inspired by squid ring […]