Mineral-based bulk structural materials (MBSMs) are known for their long history and
extensive range of usage. The inherent brittleness of minerals poses a major problem to the …

The wide diversity of biogenic minerals that is found in nature, each with its own
morphology, mechanical properties and composition, is remarkable. In order to produce …

Do corals form their skeletons by precipitation from solution or by attachment of amorphous
precursor particles as observed in other minerals and biominerals? The classical model …

Biominerals are organic–mineral composites formed by living organisms. They are the
hardest and toughest tissues in those organisms, are often polycrystalline, and their …

Nacre, or mother-of-pearl, the iridescent inner layer of many mollusk shells, is a biomineral
lamellar composite of aragonite (CaCO3) and organic sheets. Biomineralization frequently …

Spectacular colors and visual phenomena in animals are produced by light interference
from highly reflective guanine crystals. Little is known about how organisms regulate crystal …

Recent research has shown that biominerals and their biomimetics (i) typically form via an
amorphous precursor phase, and (ii) commonly display a nanogranular texture. Apparently …

Intricate biomineralization processes in molluscs engineer hierarchical structures with meso-
, nano-and atomic architectures that give the final composite material exceptional …

The multi-scale hierarchical structure of tooth enamel enables it to withstand a lifetime of
damage without catastrophic failure. While many previous studies have investigated …

Nacre, the iridescent outer lining of pearls and inner lining of many mollusk shells, is
composed of periodic, parallel, organic sheets alternating with aragonite (CaCO 3) tablet …