Nature inspires Durham team to create non-cuttable material

The material – which was inspired by the tough cellular skin of the grapefruit and the fracture resistant shells of the abalone sea creature – is made from alumina ceramic spheres encased in a cellular aluminium, metallic foam structure and works by turning back the force of a cutting tool on itself.

During tests described in Nature’s Scientific Reports the non-cuttable material - dubbed Proteus after the shape-changing mythical god - could not be cut by angle grinders, drills or high-pressure water jets.

When cut with an angle grinder or drill, the interlocking vibrational connection created by the ceramic spheres inside the casing blunts the cutting disc or drill bit.

The ceramics also fragment into fine particles, which fill the cellular structure of the material and harden as the speed of the cutting tool is increased.