Biomimetic fracture model of lizard tail autotomy

Navajit Singh Baban
| September 27th 2022 – 11 am, NYUAD C1 (ERB) -045 |

When under attack, lizards will shed their tails as a way of escaping the predator while leaving behind a wiggling decoy to distract the enemy. The tail needs to be firmly attached most of the time, but it must also have a quick-release mechanism that won’t engage during normal activities. Baban et al. devised a multiscale hierarchical model for the tail attachment. Microscopy data of the broken surfaces of the tail showed that the fracture plane consists of mushroom-shaped pillars with nanopores at their tops. These pillars allow for enhanced adhesion of the tail in tension and peeling modes but enable fracture during oscillatory bending.

Speaker’s Bio

Navajit got his master’s from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in Materials Science. Following that, he completed a Ph.D. from NYU Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering as a Global Ph.D. Fellow. Now, he is working as a postdoctoral associate at the Center for Cyber Security, NYUAD. His areas of Interest are Bioinspired Fracture Mechanics and Biochip Security.