Kim, Y.Y., Carloni, J.D., Demarchi, B. et al. (12 more authors) (2016) Tuning hardness in calcite by incorporation of amino acids. Nature Materials, 15 (8). pp. 903-910. ISSN 1476-1122
Abstract
Structural biominerals are inorganic/organic composites that exhibit remarkable mechanical properties. However, the structure–property relationships of even the simplest building unit—mineral single crystals containing embedded macromolecules—remain poorly understood. Here, by means of a model biomineral made from calcite single crystals containing glycine (0–7 mol%) or aspartic acid (0–4 mol%), we elucidate the origin of the superior hardness of biogenic calcite. We analysed lattice distortions in these model crystals by using X-ray diffraction and molecular dynamics simulations, and by means of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance show that the amino acids are incorporated as individual molecules. We also demonstrate that nanoindentation hardness increased with amino acid content, reaching values equivalent to their biogenic counterparts. A dislocation pinning model reveals that the enhanced hardness is determined by the force required to cut covalent bonds in the molecules.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016 Nature Publishing Group. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Nature Materials. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Bioinspired materials; Biomineralization; Composites; Mechanical properties |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL (EPSRC) EP/I001514/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 11 May 2016 08:54 |
Last Modified: | 01 Dec 2016 06:37 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nmat4631 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Nature Publishing Group |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/nmat4631 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:97761 |