Ordering in red abalone nacre

TL;DR

This study investigates the development of order in red abalone nacre, revealing that aragonite tablets gradually align over 50 microns through controlled growth mechanisms rather than direct templation.

Contribution

It provides the first quantitative measurements of nacre order development and proposes a growth control model explaining the observed pattern formation.

Findings

Order develops over about 50 microns

Controlled growth model matches experimental patterns

Crystal orientation is regulated via growth, not templation

Abstract

Red abalone nacre is an intensely studied biomineral, and yet its formation mechanism remains poorly understood. Here we report quantitative measurements probing the degree of order of the aragonite tablets in nacre, and show that order develops over a distance of about 50 microns. These observations indicate that the orientational order of aragonite tablets in nacre is established gradually and dynamically, and we show that a model of controlled assembly based on suppression of the crystal growth rate along a specific direction, when growth is confined in a layered structure, yields a tablet pattern consistent with those revealed by detailed experimental measurements. This work provides strong evidence that the organism s control of crystal orientation in nacre occurs via regulation of crystal nucleation and growth as opposed to direct templation or heteroepitaxial growth on organic molecules on the organic matrix sheets.