Texture Characterization of CO3Ca Biological Samples

RAÚL EDUARDO BOLMARO, HEINZ-GÜNTER BROKMEIER, BERND SCHWEBKE AND WEI MIN GAN

2008-09-12/2008-09-30

243-244

Física

Promocion general del conocimiento

Biological structural materials have received special attention due to their outstanding properties in spite of being built with relatively simple and fragile materials. Mollusks with conchs (gastropods and bivalves) are a very interesting study case. The conch is constituted mainly of CO3Ca in either one or both crystalline forms, calcite and/or aragonite, in a very oriented structure making a composite with a biological copolymer. The whole structure is differentiated in layers were the orientation varies from layer to layer. The preferential orientations of the calcite lamellas or aragonite crystals vary from species to species and that is usually an unequivocal way of identification and classification. The current proposal asks for the measurement of textures of different species of gastropods and bivalves. The purpose is the contribution to a systematic of organization as well as the understanding of mechanical behavior and its possible relationship with ecological niche or evolution trends.