Iron-clad fibers: a metal-based biological strategy for hard flexible coatings
Harrington, M.J.; Masic, A.; Holten-Andersen, N.; Waite, J.H.; Fratzl, P. (2010). Iron-clad fibers: a metal-based biological strategy for hard flexible coatings. Science (Wash.) 328(5975): 216-220. https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1181044
In: Science (Washington). American Association for the Advancement of Science: New York, N.Y. ISSN 0036-8075; e-ISSN 1095-9203, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Harrington, M.J.
- Masic, A.
- Holten-Andersen, N.
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| Abstract |
The extensible byssal threads of marine mussels are shielded from abrasion in wave-swept habitats by an outer cuticle that is largely proteinaceous and approximately fivefold harder than the thread core. Threads from several species exhibit granular cuticles containing a protein that is rich in the catecholic amino acid 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (dopa) as well as inorganic ions, notably Fe3+. Granular cuticles exhibit a remarkable combination of high hardness and high extensibility. We explored byssus cuticle chemistry by means of in situ resonance Raman spectroscopy and demonstrated that the cuticle is a polymeric scaffold stabilized by catecholato-iron chelate complexes having an unusual clustered distribution. Consistent with byssal cuticle chemistry and mechanics, we present a model in which dense cross-linking in the granules provides hardness, whereas the less cross-linked matrix provides extensibility. |
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