Secret of high strength and toughness of abalone seashell

Among all inspiring bio-material, Abalone seashell has its unique characteristics of high strength and toughness. Though , there is the general trend in materials that some of the toughness have been compromised for the sake of increasing hardness and vice versa. This astonishing property of sea shell attracts material scientists to understand the root cause for this property. One of such enthusiast, Prof. Kalpana Katti at North Dakota State University unlocked these secret of these phenomenon lies in its microstructure. Seashell actually gets this property from their intercalating brick structure which is bound with the material consist of a combination of 30 proteins. As these shells , are basically laminated bricks of calcium carbonate which has high strength as ceramics but they are brittle. How this material regains its toughness just because of the structure. This intercalating bricks are hexagonal in shape and bonded together as full layer-wise structure as the shell. In natural process of formation of this shell , Mineral deposition takes place as a result of charged body surface of abalone. As sea water contains the lot of minerals, which makes it favourable for mineral deposition as a result of limited solubility of salts in water. Now scientists have been thinking of mimicking this natural deposition which will lead a human being to next level of creation of artificial materials  but there are certain limitation and difficulties which makes human being stop at the extreme edge of knowledge and experience. Though the main focus of  biomimetics is the preparation of binding material which resembles actual binding material in the sea shell.Here,nanoscale organic proximity plays the important role in mechanics of protein interaction that makes this phenomenon unique. This root of this secret as an understanding of this mechanics  of protein will be outstanding discovery which will change whole era materials. Scientists all around globe working on the understanding of protein. As the material science enthusiast, I will be  always open for questions and comments.