Twist and lock: nutshell structures for high strength and energy absorption.

Nutshells achieve remarkable properties by optimizing structure and chemistry at different hierarchical levels. Probing nutshells from the cellular down to the nano- and molecular level by microchemical and nanomechanical imaging techniques reveals insights into nature’s packing concepts. In walnut and pistachio shells, carbohydrate and lignin polymers assemble to form thick-walled puzzle cells, which interlock three-dimensionally […]