Functionally graded materials (FGMs) are innovative materials whose composition and/or
microstructure gradually vary in space according to a designed law. As a result, also the …

Nacre (known as mother of pearl) is the iridescent inner shell layer of some mollusks. Nacre
is composed of 95 wt% aragonite (a crystallographic form of CaCO3) and 5 wt% organic …

Molluscs comprise the second largest phylum of animals (after arthropods), occurring in
virtually all habitats. Some are commercially important, a few are pests and some carry …

The unique and frequently beautiful morphologies that characterize many biominerals have
long been a source of fascination. While research began by looking first at individual …

The growing demand for new, sophisticated, multifunctional materials has brought natural
structural composites into focus, since they underwent a substantial optimization during long …

A large number of polycrystalline materials, both manmade and natural, display preferred
orientation of crystallites. Such alignment has a profound effect on anisotropy of physical …

Molluscs are grand masters in the fabrication of shells, because these are composed of the
largest variety of microstructures found among invertebrates. Molluscan microstructures are …

An external skeleton is an essential part of the body plan of many animals and is thought to
be one of the key factors that enabled the great expansion in animal diversity and disparity …

This work was conducted on Pinctada maxima nacre (mother of pearl) in order to
understand its multiscale ordering and the role of the organic matrix in its structure …

The capacity to biomineralize is closely linked to the rapid expansion of animal life during
the early Cambrian, with many skeletonized phyla first appearing in the fossil record at this …