Sea urchin spicules: assembly of fracture-toughened materials at the nano- and meso-scale
Abstract
The sea urchin makes mineralized skeletons (spicules) that are fracture-resistant, and this property arises due to the incorporation of proteins (SM series) into the mineral components of the spicule. Fracture-resistance is a property that can enhance our military infrastructure and thus we want to learn how the sea urchin uses proteins to build fracture-resistant materials. The goals of the project are to (1) Characterize SM proteins associations with forming minerals; (2) Identify the structural features of SM proteins and how these contribute to spicule and mineral formation; (3) Determine the locations and interactions of SM proteins within the mineral environment of the developing sea urchin. The research effort will encompass two broad aims: Aim 1. Determine the mineralization activity, self-assembly capability, and structural features of the target SM proteins within defined model environments. The idea here is to identify important features of SM proteins: how they assemble together, what their impact is on mineral formation, and what molecular features allow them to assemble and control mineral formation. This will be done within defined laboratory conditions. Aim 2. Localization and identification of target SM proteins and protein-mineral relationships at the organic-inorganic interface in developing sea urchin spicules. Here, we go inside the the sea urchin spicule itself and identify where SM proteins are located and what interactions they have with each other and with the forming mineral environment. These studies will be complemented by laboratory studies using ultrasmall molecular surrogate ÒcontainersÓ which mimic the spicule environment and allow us to examine SM protein effects on the formation and stability of the mineral phase. The results obtained from these studies will be integrated together to provide a comprehensive picture of SM protein involvement within the formation of fracture-resistant structures such as the spicule. In turn, new technological developments will be developed from these studies such that the next generation of strong, lightweight materials for military applications will emerge.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 12, 2017
- Source ID
- W911NF1610262
Entities
People
- John Evans
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- New York University
- United States Army