Hyperspectral interference tomography of nacre
Abstract
We invented an optical technique—hyperspectral interference tomography—that rapidly and nondestructively extracts nanoscale structural information across large samples of nacre (mother-of-pearl) and other layered materials by combining multiangle and polarization-resolved hyperspectral imaging with optical-interference modeling. We investigated nacre in mollusk shells from two different species, red abalone and rainbow abalone, and discovered a previously unknown relationship between the age of the mollusk and the thickness of aragonite tablets in nacre. Hyperspectral interference tomography will have applications in climate science, since nacre tablet thickness in fossil shells is a proxy for ancient seawater temperature, and in bioinspired mechanics, because the layered structure of nacre inspires engineered materials with exceptional strength and toughness.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Apr 08, 2021
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.2023623118
Entities
People
- Alireza Shahsafi
- Bryan E. Rubio-perez
- Cayla A. Stifler
- Chang-yu Sun
- Christopher Draves
- Daniel C. Bradley
- Gabor Kemeny
- Jad Salman
- Michel Frising
- Mikhail A Kats
- Pupa Gilbert
- Raymond A. Wambold
- Stephen C. Weibel
- Yuzhe Xiao
- Zhaoning Yu
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- National Science Foundation
- United States Department of Energy
- University of Wisconsin–Madison