Departmental characterization of structural and mechanical properties of crossed lamellae of a gastropod Murex pecten

Abstract

We characterized departmental variations of the hierarchical lamellar structures of whorls, a siphonal canal, and spines of shells of a gastropod Murex pecten (Venus comb) and compared their mechanical properties. The crossed lamellae are basically composed of bundled aragonite nanorods ∼20 nm wide that are elongated along the (110) plane. The main body, including whorls and a siphonal canal, consists of four- and three-layer crossed lamellae, and thin spines comprise double- and single-layered structures including strained and distorted lamellae. The macroscopic bending strength and nanoscopic hardness of the spines were found to be greater than those of the main body of the shell. The specific strained and distorted lamellar structures are deduced to contribute to the enhanced mechanical properties of the long and thin parts.