Design and fabrication strategy in the world of functional gradation

The concept of Functionally Graded Materials, FGM, was introduced in 1980s for the development of reliable thermal shock resistant components for high temperature applications. Later on biomimetic approaches were included, to arrive at multifunctional, multiscale FGM's for numerous applications, including abrasion resistant materials and materials for implants. The paper briefly reviews the past achievements and highlights future trends in multi-scale graded materials science and technology, with the aim at utilisation of bio-inspired methods in design and fabrication strategy. Examples are given for systems with hierarchically graded porosity for application in hard tissue implants and in diesel engine filters, respectively.