Enamel-inspired composite with robust mechanical properties and self-healing capability

Enamel-inspired composite with robust mechanical properties and self-healing capability | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Enamel-inspired composite with robust mechanical properties and self-healing capability Shu-Hong Yu, Xin Guo, Chen Cui, Kai-Xin Li, Ze-Yong Zhuang, Meng-Han Zhu, and 12 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4796385/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Echoing the regenerative powers of living organisms, self-healing materials can recover from damage, extending their lifespan and enhancing dependability, thus holding broad applications promise across a spectrum of fields, including biological tissue engineering, soft robotics, flexible electronics, and automotive industries. Nonetheless, self-healing materials typically suffer from poor mechanical properties due to the absence of a rational orderly structure and the lack of robust organic-inorganic bonding. Inspired by dental enamel, we report a novel composite featuring an aligned array of hydroxyapatite nanowires (HAP NWs) interwoven with dynamic borate bond networks by a bidirectional freeze-drying method, which not only boasts exceptional mechanical robustness but also possesses self-healing capabilities. Benefiting from the distinct enamel-like microstructure coupled with the strong interactions between the polymer matrix and the HAP NWs, this composite can effectively transmit stress and dissipate energy to prevent crack propagation. Therefore, an impressive mechanical modulus of 4.43 ± 0.09 GPa , strength of 173.47 ± 6.36 MPa, and toughness of 2.18 ± 0.20 MPa m1/2 are achieved while maintaining a self-healing efficiency of 97.7%. This approach paves the way for preparing materials that blend superior mechanical attributes with the intrinsic ability to self-repair. Physical sciences/Materials science/Biomaterials/Bioinspired materials Physical sciences/Materials science/Structural materials/Composites Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Supplementarymaterialsrevised.pdf Supplementary and Additional Material (Seen by all) # 1 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4796385","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":592303437,"identity":"529e938a-9a21-4d1f-b2d5-2bdf60343ad7","order_by":0,"name":"Shu-Hong Yu","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAt0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACCSD+gMQmTgvjDKhq4rUw85CkRX52j5m0bVtdHX8D88HbPAx2eQS1GNw5Yyad23ZYQuIAW7I1D0NyMWEtEjkgLQckDBh4zKR5GA4kNhB02AygFsu2OqAW/m/EaWG4AdTC2MYMsoWNOC0GN9KKLXvOHZaccZjN2HKOQTIxDkveeONHWR0/f3vzwxtvKuyIcBgDhwGEZgZbSlg9ELA/IErZKBgFo2AUjGAAAMVbMW2HitspAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3732-1011","institution":"University of Science and Technology of China","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shu-Hong","middleName":"","lastName":"Yu","suffix":""},{"id":592303438,"identity":"579e13bd-8b4e-4a3e-8360-1b7c4ab60505","order_by":1,"name":"Xin Guo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern university of science and technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xin","middleName":"","lastName":"Guo","suffix":""},{"id":592303439,"identity":"2cc4e9b3-a997-42e7-812f-fefcedbd0a4b","order_by":2,"name":"Chen Cui","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chen","middleName":"","lastName":"Cui","suffix":""},{"id":592303440,"identity":"0466d043-b64c-417f-813f-d66e13aea197","order_by":3,"name":"Kai-Xin Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kai-Xin","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":592303441,"identity":"dfade352-db93-4370-98f7-d72e5e443efb","order_by":4,"name":"Ze-Yong Zhuang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ze-Yong","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhuang","suffix":""},{"id":592303442,"identity":"c8df8cb6-03fd-4d5d-b761-ec37f49e0283","order_by":5,"name":"Meng-Han Zhu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Meng-Han","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhu","suffix":""},{"id":592303443,"identity":"b114d817-ec09-429c-bf38-83e1124620ff","order_by":6,"name":"Fu-Xing Zhao","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8927-5189","institution":"Southern University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Fu-Xing","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhao","suffix":""},{"id":592303444,"identity":"8988b70f-2085-49c9-895f-3f82691264c7","order_by":7,"name":"Jing-Tong Ye","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jing-Tong","middleName":"","lastName":"Ye","suffix":""},{"id":592303445,"identity":"d110519a-b34f-4c31-8c2c-57dcfb221263","order_by":8,"name":"Qian-Hao Pan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Qian-Hao","middleName":"","lastName":"Pan","suffix":""},{"id":592303446,"identity":"e78d3126-52e5-4466-860b-f9761bf52a12","order_by":9,"name":"Yu-Tao Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yu-Tao","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":592303447,"identity":"c7ff442d-475e-4561-810c-6d000f4e01f3","order_by":10,"name":"Chen Chen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern university of science and technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chen","middleName":"","lastName":"Chen","suffix":""},{"id":592303448,"identity":"50028816-1149-45e1-b27c-e323a1d6a81f","order_by":11,"name":"Zong-Ying Huang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zong-Ying","middleName":"","lastName":"Huang","suffix":""},{"id":592303449,"identity":"1676ebb4-f54c-42f0-bc15-ee280f2b530b","order_by":12,"name":"Meihua Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern university of science and technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Meihua","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":592303450,"identity":"c65513e8-ef2e-4245-8d61-8c3a65eb411b","order_by":13,"name":"Xiao-Jing Qiu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xiao-Jing","middleName":"","lastName":"Qiu","suffix":""},{"id":592303451,"identity":"1a6aab21-25de-4446-8179-cc7f3bb93fc2","order_by":14,"name":"Bang Yu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bang","middleName":"","lastName":"Yu","suffix":""},{"id":592303452,"identity":"cc633d3b-5b20-435a-a486-62a9f49adaac","order_by":15,"name":"Li-Wen Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Li-Wen","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""},{"id":592303453,"identity":"67abfd85-f66f-4e97-801f-3497a29b6dfc","order_by":16,"name":"Jin-Long Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jin-Long","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":592303454,"identity":"9307b0c7-b30b-4a29-8d2e-2d8d6b959290","order_by":17,"name":"Zhen He","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southern University of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhen","middleName":"","lastName":"He","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-07-24 15:05:48","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4796385/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4796385/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":102964096,"identity":"4b877965-87ee-44ef-a545-eff0e9c2f3f1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-19 04:21:28","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1412867,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Article (Seen by all) # 1","description":"","filename":"manuscriptNNANO24072379AZRevised.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4796385/v1_covered_513d403e-ab50-41f8-99f0-d57db148c5bc.pdf"},{"id":102889290,"identity":"1afc946c-5e1f-48c5-8b65-535bdf926217","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-18 04:03:59","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":1962676,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Supplementary and Additional Material (Seen by all) # 1","description":"","filename":"Supplementarymaterialsrevised.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4796385/v1/04d7e8dffb3de5fc659d4106.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"Enamel-inspired composite with robust mechanical properties and self-healing capability","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-portfolio","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Nature Portfolio","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4796385/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4796385/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Echoing the regenerative powers of living organisms, self-healing materials can recover from damage, extending their lifespan and enhancing dependability, thus holding broad applications promise across a spectrum of fields, including biological tissue engineering, soft robotics, flexible electronics, and automotive industries. Nonetheless, self-healing materials typically suffer from poor mechanical properties due to the absence of a rational orderly structure and the lack of robust organic-inorganic bonding. Inspired by dental enamel, we report a novel composite featuring an aligned array of hydroxyapatite nanowires (HAP NWs) interwoven with dynamic borate bond networks by a bidirectional freeze-drying method, which not only boasts exceptional mechanical robustness but also possesses self-healing capabilities. Benefiting from the distinct enamel-like microstructure coupled with the strong interactions between the polymer matrix and the HAP NWs, this composite can effectively transmit stress and dissipate energy to prevent crack propagation. Therefore, an impressive mechanical modulus of 4.43 ± 0.09 GPa , strength of 173.47 ± 6.36 MPa, and toughness of 2.18 ± 0.20 MPa m1/2 are achieved while maintaining a self-healing efficiency of 97.7%. This approach paves the way for preparing materials that blend superior mechanical attributes with the intrinsic ability to self-repair.","manuscriptTitle":"Enamel-inspired composite with robust mechanical properties and self-healing capability","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-02-18 04:03:54","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4796385/v1","editorialEvents":[],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-communications","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"NCOMMS","sideBox":"Learn more about [Nature Communications](http://www.nature.com/ncomms/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://mts-ncomms.nature.com/","title":"Nature Communications","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"Nature Communications","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"bbdf2c16-bce5-4c96-8b95-9a25ee459ca6","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 18th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":63025265,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science/Biomaterials/Bioinspired materials"},{"id":63025266,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science/Structural materials/Composites"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-13T13:28:22+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-18 04:03:54","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4796385","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4796385","identity":"rs-4796385","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}