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ECB-ART-42335
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012 Mar 06;10910:3699-704. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1109243109.
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Structure-property relationships of a biological mesocrystal in the adult sea urchin spine.

Seto J , Ma Y , Davis SA , Meldrum F , Gourrier A , Kim YY , Schilde U , Sztucki M , Burghammer M , Maltsev S , Jäger C , Cölfen H .


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Structuring over many length scales is a design strategy widely used in Nature to create materials with unique functional properties. We here present a comprehensive analysis of an adult sea urchin spine, and in revealing a complex, hierarchical structure, show how Nature fabricates a material which diffracts as a single crystal of calcite and yet fractures as a glassy material. Each spine comprises a highly oriented array of Mg-calcite nanocrystals in which amorphous regions and macromolecules are embedded. It is postulated that this mesocrystalline structure forms via the crystallization of a dense array of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) precursor particles. A residual surface layer of ACC and/or macromolecules remains around the nanoparticle units which creates the mesocrystal structure and contributes to the conchoidal fracture behavior. Nature''s demonstration of how crystallization of an amorphous precursor phase can create a crystalline material with remarkable properties therefore provides inspiration for a novel approach to the design and synthesis of synthetic composite materials.

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Genes referenced: LOC100887844 LOC590371

References [+] :
Addadi, Interactions between acidic proteins and crystals: stereochemical requirements in biomineralization. 1985, Pubmed