Optical Properties of Individual Aragonite Plates from Nacre

The unique structural architecture of nacre from sea shells (e. g., mussel, pearl oyster, and abalone shells) is the basis of this substance's brilliant iridescent coloration. In fact, nacre consists of alternating bilayers of plate-shaped aragonite and an organic binder. In this paper, we first report the optical characteristics of individual aragonite plates derived from nacre. A simple chemical method is employed to disintegrate nacre without structural and polymorphism changes. Implementation of this method enable us to investigate the optical properties of individual aragonite plates. Evidence indicate that most light is transmitted by aragonite plates, a phenomenon that contributes substantially to the fantastic iridescent colors displayed by nacre. Reflected light, on the other hand, displays wavelength selectivity that depends on the thickness of the aragonite plates. As typical material applications, natural aragonite plates are utilized as transparent fillers and as a pigment for surface coating. Aside from their use as optical materials, aragonite plates can also be employed as a solid support for the growth of metal nanoparticles and utilize for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.