Mother-of-Pearl in Highest Resolution

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Mother-of-Pearl in Highest Resolution
Mother-of-pearl, also known as nacre, is not just an iridescent substance whose optical characteristics impress the observer and which is often used for jewellery. It is also an excellent material for working with. Nacre consists of 97 percent lime, but has a thousand times higher breaking strength. The reason has to do with the layer composition of mother-of-pearl. Now, Max Planck and BAM scientists have discovered that the surface of the lime platelets in mother-of-pearl is not at all ordered in layers, as had been previously assumed.


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