Bio-Inspired Synthetic Ivory as a Sustainable Material for Piano Keys

Dieter Fischer, Sarah C. Parks and Jochen Mannhart
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Dieter Fischer: Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Heisenbergstrasse 1, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Sarah C. Parks: Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Heisenbergstrasse 1, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Jochen Mannhart: Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Heisenbergstrasse 1, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 23, 1-14

Abstract: Natural ivory is no longer readily or legally available, as it is obtained primarily from elephant tusks, which now enjoy international protection. Ivory, however, is the best material known for piano keys. We present a hydroxylapatite–gelatin biocomposite that is chemically identical to natural ivory but with functional properties optimized to replace it. As this biocomposite is fabricated from abundant materials in an environmentally friendly process and is furthermore biodegradable, it is a sustainable solution for piano keys with the ideal functional properties of natural ivory.

Keywords: ivory; composite materials; material design; biodegradability; piano keys (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:23:p:6538-:d:288853

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