Cholla cactus wood ( Cylindropuntia imbricata ): Hierarchical structure and micromechanical properties
Publicated to:Acta Biomaterialia. 174 269-280 - 2024-01-15 174(), DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.12.005
Authors: Morankar, S; Luktuke, A; Nieto-Valeiras, E; Mistry, Y; Bhate, D; Penick, CA; Chawla, N
Affiliations
Abstract
The Cholla cactus is a species of cacti that survives in arid environments and produces a unique mesh-like porous wood. In this article, we present a comprehensive investigation on the hierarchical structure and micromechanical properties of the Cholla cactus wood. Multiple approaches consisting of X-ray tomography, scanning electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopy, nanoindentation, and finite element simulations were used to gain insight into the structure, property, and design principles of the Cholla cactus wood. The microstructure of the Cholla cactus wood consists of different com ponents, including vessels, rays, and fibers. In the present study, we quantitatively describe the structure of each of these wood components and their likely functions, both from the perspective of biological and mechanical behavior. Nanoindentation experiments revealed for the first time that the cell walls of the fibers exhibit stiffness and hardness higher than those of rays. Furthermore, the idea of making porous, thin-walled cylinders was abstracted from the design of vessel elements, and the structures inspired by this principle were studied in tensile and torsional loading conditions using finite element simulations. Finite element simulations revealed that the utilization of a larger volume of material to carry the load leads to an increase in toughness of these structures, and thus suggested that the pores should be architected to maximize the distribution of load. Statement of significance The Cholla cactus wood possess a unique hierarchical structure that enables it to thrive in arid environments. Our correlative microscopy approach reveals incredible strategies that individual wood components exhibit to enable the survival of Cholla cactus in extreme environments. The present work quantifies the microstructure and mechanical properties of this very interesting natural system. We further investigate a design principle inspired by the vessel elements, one of the wood components of Cholla cactus, using finite element simulations. The study presented here advances our understanding of the structural significance of Cholla cactus and potentially other desert plants and will further help design architected structural materials. (c) 2023 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Quality index
Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel
The work has been published in the journal Acta Biomaterialia due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2024 there are still no calculated indicators, but in 2023, it was in position 5/53, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Materials Science, Biomaterials. Notably, the journal is positioned above the 90th percentile.
Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.
Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2025-07-14:
- WoS: 2
- Scopus: 3
Impact and social visibility
Leadership analysis of institutional authors
This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: United States of America.