Coherently aligned nanoparticles within a biogenic single crystal: A biological prestressing strategy

In contrast to synthetic materials, materials produced by organisms are formed in ambient conditions and with a limited selection of elements. Nevertheless, living organisms reveal elegant strategies for achieving specific functions, ranging from skeletal support to mastication, from sensors and def...

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Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2017-12, Vol.358 (6368), p.1294-1298
Main Authors: Polishchuk, Iryna, Bracha, Avigail Aronhime, Bloch, Leonid, Levy, Davide, Kozachkevich, Stas, Etinger-Geller, Yael, Kauffmann, Yaron, Burghammer, Manfred, Giacobbe, Carlotta, Villanova, Julie, Hendler, Gordon, Sun, Chang-Yu, Giuffre, Anthony J., Marcus, Matthew A., Kundanati, Lakshminath, Zaslansky, Paul, Pugno, Nicola M., Gilbert, Pupa U. P. A., Katsman, Alex, Pokroy, Boaz
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological Products - chemistry
Calcite
Calcium Carbonate - chemistry
Compressive properties
Crystallization
Crystals
Echinodermata - chemistry
Guinier Preston zone
Magnesium
Magnesium - chemistry
Mastication
MATERIALS SCIENCE
Metallurgy
Microlenses
Nanoparticles
Nanoparticles - chemistry
Ophiocoma wendtii
Precipitates
Prestressing
Quenching
Stress, Mechanical
Stresses
Toughening
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Summary:In contrast to synthetic materials, materials produced by organisms are formed in ambient conditions and with a limited selection of elements. Nevertheless, living organisms reveal elegant strategies for achieving specific functions, ranging from skeletal support to mastication, from sensors and defensive tools to optical function. Using state-of-the-art characterization techniques, we present a biostrategy for strengthening and toughening the otherwise brittle calcite optical lenses found in the brittlestar Ophiocoma wendtii. This intriguing process uses coherent nanoprecipitates to induce compressive stresses on the host matrix, functionally resembling the Guinier–Preston zones known in classical metallurgy. We believe that these calcitic nanoparticles, being rich in magnesium, segregate during or just after transformation from amorphous to crystalline phase, similarly to segregation behavior from a supersaturated quenched alloy.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aaj2156