Materials Science Program Seminar

Prof. Robert Ritchie, UC-Berkeley. The structure of materials invariably defines their mechanical behavior. However, in most materials, mechanical properties are controlled by structure at widely differing length scales. Nowhere is this more apparent than with natural materials. Bone, tooth dentin and nacre, for example, are sophisticated composites whose unique mechanical properties derive from an architectural design that spans nanoscale to near-macroscopic dimensions.