The dynamics of nacre self-assembly
- 8 December 2006
- journal article
- Published by The Royal Society in Journal of The Royal Society Interface
- Vol. 4 (14) , 491-504
- https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2006.0188
Abstract
We show how nacre and pearl construction in bivalve and gastropod molluscs can be understood in terms of successive processes of controlled self-assembly from the molecular- to the macro-scale. This dynamics involves the physics of the formation of both solid and liquid crystals and of membranes and fluids to produce a nanostructured hierarchically constructed biological composite of polysaccharides, proteins and mineral, whose mechanical properties far surpass those of its component parts.Keywords
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