Crystallization by Amorphous Particle Attachment: On the Evolution of Texture

Abstract

Crystallization by particle attachment (CPA) is a gradual process where each step has its own thermodynamic and kinetic constrains defining a unique pathway of crystal growth. An important example is biomineralization of calcium carbonate through amorphous precursors that are morphed into shapes and textural patterns that cannot be envisioned by the classical monomer‐by‐monomer approach. Here, a mechanistic link between the collective kinetics of mineral deposition and the emergence of crystallographic texture is established. Using the prismatic ultrastructure in bivalve shells as a model, a fundamental leap is made in the ability to analytically describe the evolution of form and texture of biological mineralized tissues and to design the structure and crystallographic properties of synthetic materials formed by CPA.

Biomineralized Materials as Model Systems for Structural Composites: Intracrystalline Structural Features and Their Strengthening and Toughening Mechanisms

“…The commonly known examples are the prismatic calcite minerals, which follow a self‐similar structural evolution with their cross‐sectional morphologies fully predicted by classical materials science theories for normal grain growth; [ 256,257 ] yet, less is known regarding the evolution of the crystallographic properties of the individual biomineral building blocks (e.g., crystal splitting vs single‐crystal prisms). [ 135,188,192 ]…”

“…[ 134,135,192 ] For example, the crystal splitting in P. fucata prisms is produced by rotation about the calcite c ‐axis (also the axial direction of prisms), [ 134 ] while P. margaritifera and Pinctada nigra prisms have predominant growth perpendicular to the calcite c ‐axis. [ 135,191,192 ]…”

“…[ 105] Pinctada nigra Prisms (calcite) Crystalline features (splitting crystal). [ 192] Pinna nobilis Prisms (calcite) Intra-OMs; [ 52,53,61] Trace elements; [68] Residual strain; [ 68,186] Crystalline features (nanograins). [ 142,189] Nacre (aragonite) Crystalline features (nanograins); [ 199] Twinning.…”

“…[191] Interestingly, the splitting crystal often starts as a single unit with sporadic crystallographic orientations (up to 30°tilt between the calcite c-axis and the direction of growth), and then split into subdomains with subtle changes in the crystallographic orientations. [134,135,192] For example, the crystal splitting in P. fucata prisms is produced by rotation about the calcite c-axis (also the axial direction of prisms), [134] while P. margaritifera and Pinctada nigra prisms have predominant growth perpendicular to the calcite c-axis. [135,191,192] The different crystalline features directly contribute to their different behaviors of biominerals under loading.…”

Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation in Nucleation Process of Biomineralization

“…Biomineralization refers to a charming process describing the formation of various biominerals participated by complex interactions of organic and inorganic molecules (Berendsen and Olsen, 2015;Kim et al, 2016;Grünewald et al, 2020;Li et al, 2020;Schoeppler et al, 2021;Wu et al, 2021). It is a typical interdisciplinary subject attracting biologists (Muñoz et al, 2019), chemists (Yuan et al, 2019), and geologists (Sivaguru et al, 2018;Sivaguru et al, 2020;Sivaguru et al, 2021) to figure out its potential mechanisms, and also provide inspiring clues to bionic applications (Cho et al, 2018).…”