crystallisation of nanoparticles tagged posts

Pinna nobilis. (Image: Biodiversity Heritage Library, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons*)

FAU Materials scientists have shown for the first time that the mother-of-pearl in clam shells does not form in a crystallisation process but is a result of the aggregation of nanoparticles within an organic matrix. This could lead to a better understanding of the structure of biomaterials which may be useful in the development of new high-performance ceramics.

Prof. Wolf’s team used a diamond wire saw to cut a 60cm wedge out of the shell of a large Pinna nobilis – a type of clam found in the Mediterranean – which they then polished using a novel method before examining it under a scanning transmission electron microscope...