Nautilus Shell Growth, Sem
by Eye Of Science
Title
Nautilus Shell Growth, Sem
Artist
Eye Of Science
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the broken shell of a nautilus. This is the top layer of the nacreous shell, showing platelets that are still growing where the surface has not yet closed. Nacre (mother-of-pearl) has long been known as an interesting biogenic material. It is composed of hexagonal platelets of aragonite (a form of calcium carbonate) 10–20 µm wide and 0.5 µm thick arranged in a continuous parallel lamina. These layers are separated by sheets of organic matrix composed of elastic biopolymers (such as chitin, lustrin and silk-like proteins). This mixture of brittle platelets and the thin layers of elastic biopolymers makes the material strong and resilient. Nacre appears iridescent because the thickness of the aragonite platelets is close to the wavelength of visible light. Magnification is 2500x at 15x12cm image size.
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May 19th, 2021
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