4. Conclusion

Through the study of microstructures developed over thousands of years of evolution, bio-inspiration makes it possible to explore new solutions to the ancient problem of ceramics: their fragility. By studying the structure of bone, mother-of-pearl or even the hammerhead of the peacock mantis shrimp, it is possible to observe that changing microstructure alone makes it possible to free oneself from the problems inherent in the materials used. In order to apply these principles, the main obstacle remains the development of processes enabling an ever finer level of control over the microstructure. The advent of new processes such as ice texturing and magnetic field-assisted plaster mold casting has recently made it possible to manufacture ceramic composites inspired by mother-of-pearl, with properties superior to those of conventional technical ceramics. As for future research directions, it...