title: Microstructure, chemistry, and electronic structure of natural hybrid composites in abalone shell.
abstract: The crystal structure and chemical composition at the inorganic/inorganic and inorganic/organic interfaces in abalone shell (genus Haliotis) were investigated using advanced analytical transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods. Electron energy-loss near-edge structures (ELNES) of Ca-M2,3, C-K, Ca-L2,3, O-K and low-loss EEL spectra acquired from aragonite and calcite are distinctly different. When comparing biogenic with inorganic material for aragonite, only minor differences in C-K fine structures could be detected. The crystal structure of the mineral bridges was confirmed by ELNES experiments. ELNES and energy-filtered TEM (EFTEM) experiments of regular and self-healed interfaces between nacreous aragonite and prismatic calcite reveal relatively rough transitions. In this work, the importance of TEM specimen preparation and specimen damage on structural features is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Stuttgart Center for Electron Microscopy, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Heisenbergstrasse 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany. srot@is.mpg.de
authors.forename: Vesna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Srot
authors.forename: Ulrike G K
authors.initials: UG
authors.lastname: Wegst
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Salzberger
authors.forename: Christoph T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: Kersten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hahn
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kopold
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: van Aken
mesh_terms: D060105:Animal Shells / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000818:Animals; D003460:Crystallization; D049851:Gastropoda / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D046032:Microscopy, Energy-Filtering Transmission Electron / Q000379:methods; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods