title: Crystal structure characterization of nautilus shell at different length scales.
abstract: In this work, we studied the shell structure of the Nautilus pompilius Linnaeus by using analytical techniques of scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction. The main objective of this study is the structural characterization of Nautilus shell at different length levels, from micron to nano-scale. The results were also used to try to determine the shell structure mechanism of formation. The information obtained in this work will place our particular knowledge a closer step to understand how self-assembly works in nature, and will increase the opportunities of using this information in the future synthesis of new advanced materials.
authors.affiliation: Texas Materials Institute and Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, TX 78712, USA. rodvelazquez@mail.utexas.edu
authors.forename: Rodrigo Rafael
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Velázquez-Castillo
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reyes-Gasga
authors.forename: Domingo I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: García-Gutierrez
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jose-Yacaman
mesh_terms: D003460:Crystallization; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D015394:Molecular Structure; D049850:Nautilus / Q000737:chemistry*