Mother of Pearl Created in Lab

Mother of Pearl Created in Lab


Researchers have made an artificial version of mother of pearl - a material found on the inner shell of some molluscs that forms the outer coating of pearls - by mimicking the way it is created in nature, paving the way for tough coatings made using low-cost materials.

Mother of pearl, also known as nacre, is a composite material made from inorganic layers of calcium carbonate separated by organic polymers such as chitin. This structure gives nacre its iridescent sheen and makes it resilient to damage.

The breakthrough could perhaps give firms a way of coating smartphones or other gadgets that are shiny and nice to look at - but are still incredibly tough.

See photo and read entire article on mother of pearl created in lab here.

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Mollusc News.

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.