Researchers reveal secrets of nature's toughest material

Nacre – or mother of pearl – is the material that lines the insides of mollusc shells and is recognised as nature's toughest material. Now, a team of researchers led by the University of Michigan (U-M) has revealed precisely how it works, in real time.

"We humans can make tougher materials using unnatural environments, for example extreme heat and pressure. But we can't replicate the kind of nano-engineering that molluscs have achieved. Combining the two approaches could lead to a spectacular new generation of materials, and this paper is a step in that direction," said Robert Hovden, U-M assistant professor of materials science and engineering.

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Researchers know that nacre is made of microscopic ‘bricks’ of aragonite, laced together with a ‘mortar’ made of organic material. This bricks-and-mortar arrangement lends strength, but nacre is far stronger than these building blocks suggest.