Bio-inspired Continuously Reinforced Polymer Composites: Synthesis of Nature and Additive Manufacturing

نویسندگان

1 Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, Russia

2 Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, Russia

3 Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, Russia

4 Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, Russia

doi
10.5829/ije.2026.39.03c.16
چکیده

This review presents a comprehensive analysis of bio-inspired (biomimetic) continuously reinforced polymer composites manufactured using additive manufacturing methods, revealing the current state and development prospects of these materials whose structural organization mimics biological systems. Today, when designing bio-inspired materials and structures based on them, special attention is paid to the mechanical properties of the composite being created. This review is devoted to analyze the existing research works that reflect the production of reinforced polymer composites inspired by nature-like structures, and studies of mechanical properties such as tension, impact resistance, compression, and bending. Particular attention is paid to fibrous polymer composites manufactured using fused deposition modellimg (FDM) technology, with fiber layup architecture inspired by biological structures such as nacre, dragonfly wings, turtle shells, bamboo stems, and beetle exoskeletons. The mechanical properties of these bio-inspired composites demonstrate significant improvement in impact toughness, tensile strength, compression, and bending resistance due to controlled fiber orientation. Additionally, bio-inspired 4D-printed continuously reinforced polymer composites with shape memory effect are considered for applications in cellular structures, soft grippers, and reconfigurable antennas. The obtained results establish biomimetic design principles as a promising approach for developing a new generation of lightweight structural materials with programmable properties for aerospace, automotive, medical, and military industries.