G. Lasko∗, I. Schäfer∗, Z. Burghard†, J. Bill†, S. Schmauder∗, U. Weber∗, D. Galler‡
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.10, No.1, pp. 27-42, 2013, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2013.010.027
Abstract Owing to the apparent simple morphology and peculiar properties, nacre, an iridescent layer, coating of the inner part of mollusk shells, has attracted considerable attention of biologists, material scientists and engineers. The basic structural motif in nacre is the assembly of oriented plate-like aragonite crystals with a ’brick’ (CaCO3 crystals) and ’mortar’ (macromolecular components like proteins) organization. Many scientific researchers recognize that such structures are associated with the excellent mechanical properties of nacre and biomimetic strategies have been proposed to produce new layered nanocomposites. During the past years, increasing efforts have been devoted towards exploiting nacre’s… More >