Chitin

From an Intricate Fabric to a Synthetic Material

Innovation From Nature

Insects have the perfect outfit for every situation. It shimmers in every colour, protects them from heat and sunburn, and is also water- and dirt-repellent. The materials that make up their outer coverings — chitin and proteins — invite imitation. Researchers are developing similarly high-performance high-tech materials based on their example.

1 – Composite material
A composite made of several different materials forms the insect cuticle.

2 – Alignment
Aligned fibres are arranged in lamellae and layers. As in laminated timber, the layers are not stacked directly on top of one another, but are slightly twisted. This increases stability.
(Magnification 1:100)

3 – Fibre bundle
The fibre bundles in these layers — macrofibrils — are made up of finer fibres, the chitin nanofibrils.
(Magnification 1:10,000)

4 – A single fibre
In the chitin nanofibrils, chitin is enclosed by proteins. These form some of the strongest chemical bonds found in nature.
(Magnification 1:1,000,000)

Chitin fibres embedded in proteins are the building material of an insect’s outer skin. This combination creates materials that can do more than their individual components alone. They are especially resistant to tension and compression, withstand chemical and mechanical influences well, and can also be shaped as needed.

What works in the insect world is meant to benefit humans as well. The polysaccharides in chitin are valuable to the green economy as a renewable raw material. The structures of insect cuticle serve as models for functional materials that stand out through colour, thermoregulatory properties and resistance to dirt.