Click
here to close Hello! We notice that
you are using Internet Explorer, which is not supported by Echinobase
and may cause the site to display incorrectly. We suggest using a
current version of Chrome,
FireFox,
or Safari.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
2012 Mar 06;10910:3699-704. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1109243109.
Show Gene links
Show Anatomy links
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
.
???displayArticle.abstract???
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.
Addadi,
Interactions between acidic proteins and crystals: stereochemical requirements in biomineralization.
1985, Pubmed
Addadi,
Interactions between acidic proteins and crystals: stereochemical requirements in biomineralization.
1985,
Pubmed
Aizenberg,
Direct fabrication of large micropatterned single crystals.
2003,
Pubmed
Beniash,
Cellular control over spicule formation in sea urchin embryos: A structural approach.
1999,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Berman,
Intercalation of sea urchin proteins in calcite: study of a crystalline composite material.
2010,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Berman,
Biological control of crystal texture: a widespread strategy for adapting crystal properties to function.
2010,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Cölfen,
Mesocrystals: inorganic superstructures made by highly parallel crystallization and controlled alignment.
2006,
Pubmed
Donnay,
X-ray Diffraction Studies of Echinoderm Plates.
2010,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Gibbins,
Microtubules in the formation and development of the primary mesenchyme in Arbacia punctulata. I. The distribution of microtubules.
1969,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Gilbert,
Measurement of c-axis angular orientation in calcite (CaCO3) nanocrystals using X-ray absorption spectroscopy.
2011,
Pubmed
Gueta,
Local atomic order and infrared spectra of biogenic calcite.
2007,
Pubmed
Killian,
Mechanism of calcite co-orientation in the sea urchin tooth.
2010,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Killian,
Characterization of the proteins comprising the integral matrix of Strongylocentrotus purpuratus embryonic spicules.
1996,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Li,
Unveiling the formation mechanism of pseudo-single-crystal aragonite platelets in nacre.
2009,
Pubmed
Li,
Bioinspired fabrication of 3D ordered macroporous single crystals of calcite from a transient amorphous phase.
2008,
Pubmed
Moureaux,
Structure, composition and mechanical relations to function in sea urchin spine.
2010,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Nassif,
Amorphous layer around aragonite platelets in nacre.
2005,
Pubmed
O'neill,
Polycrystalline echinoderm calcite and its fracture mechanics.
2010,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Oaki,
Nanoengineering in echinoderms: the emergence of morphology from nanobricks.
2007,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Politi,
Sea urchin spine calcite forms via a transient amorphous calcium carbonate phase.
2004,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Politi,
Transformation mechanism of amorphous calcium carbonate into calcite in the sea urchin larval spicule.
2008,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Sethmann,
Structure and composition of calcareous sponge spicules: a review and comparison to structurally related biominerals.
2008,
Pubmed
Towe,
Echinoderm calcite: single crystal or polycrystalline aggregate.
1967,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Wilt,
Matrix and mineral in the sea urchin larval skeleton.
1999,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Yang,
Biomineral nanoparticles are space-filling.
2011,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase