Enhancing mechanical properties of calcite by Mg substitutions: An ab initio study
ORAL
Abstract
Arthropoda representing a majority of all known animal species are protected by an exoskeleton formed by their cuticle. The cuticle represents a hierarchically structured multifunctional bio-composite based on chitin and proteins. Some groups like Crustacea reinforce the load-bearing parts of their cuticle with calcite. As the calcite sometimes contains Mg it was speculated that Mg may have a stiffening impact on the mechanical properties of the cuticle. We present a theoretical parameter-free quantum-mechanical study of thermodynamic, structural and elastic properties of Mg-substituted calcite. Our results show that substituting Ca by Mg causes an almost linear decrease in the crystal volume with Mg concentration and of substituted crystals. As a consequence the calcite crystals become stiffer giving rise e.g. to substantially increased bulk moduli.
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