Artificial mother of pearl could be used as protective coating

The material, known as nacre, is found on the outside of pearls and the inside of some molluscs. It is a composite made up of inorganic layers of calcium carbonate and separated by organic polymers, such as chitin. This layering gives nacre its iridescent sheen and makes it damage proof.

The Cambridge scientists recreated the biological steps that form nacre in molluscs to create a material that has a similar structure, mechanical behaviour, and optical appearance to naturally occurring nacre.

Prof Ullrich Steiner from Cambridge University’s Physics Department told The Engineer that the development of the material came about following a student project.

‘My student, Alex Finnemore, conducted a literature study to learn what is known about the growth of nacre in molluscs,’ said Steiner. ‘He then translated each of these steps into procedures that can be carried out in a fashion that does not require the help of biology.’

First, they had to try and stop calcium carbonate, which is the primary component of nacre, from crystallising when precipitating from a solution.