Seashells as a natural model to study ceramic-polymer composites
- 6 August 1989
- journal article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America
- Vol. 47, 558-559
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0424820100154767
Abstract
Interests in ceramic/polymer composites are increasing mainly because of their superior physical properties for structural and electronic applications. Naturally produced composites, such as seashells, are ideal to study the formation, microstructure, and physical properties of these composites as these materials have far superior properties with well-defined microstructures than man-made ones which require complex fabrication techniques. In this paper, a summary of a recent study on the microstructure of abalone shell (Haliotis refuscens) will be described in conjunction with its mechanical properties.A longitudinal cross-section of abalone shell displays two types of microstructures: outer prismatic layer and inner nacreous layer. Two forms of CaCO3, calcite (rhombohedral, ) and aragonite (orthorhombic, Pmcn) constitute the inorganic component of the organic/ceramic composite in the prismatic and nacreous layers, respectively. The structure and properties of the nacreous will be described here as this is the part which provides a good combination of mechanical properties for the seashell.This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: