Stepwise rotation of nanometric building blocks in the aragonite helix of a pteropod shell

Monami Suzuki, Takenori Sasaki, Yuya Oaki, Hiroaki Imai

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Aragonite helical fibers in the shell of a pteropod Cavolinia globulosa are shown to consist of single-crystalline rod-like building blocks ∼1 μm long and ∼100−200 nm wide. Although the building blocks of the orthorhombic crystal share similar c-axis orientations along the surface normal, their a and b directions rotate in a stepwise fashion. The crystallographic rotation of the unit rods and the twisted stacking of the fibers along the helical axis form the specific hierarchical architecture of the pteropod shell.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)191-196
Number of pages6
JournalCrystal Growth and Design
Volume17
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017 Jan 4

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Chemistry(all)
  • Materials Science(all)
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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