Allocation of CaC03 Polymorphs in Biological Systems: A Confocal Raman-AFM Study

Abstract

Biological composites have attracted increasing interest because of their outstanding properties and versatility. Crustaceans are interesting models for the study of these materials. They have a mineralized exoskeleton (cuticle) that provides support and protection. The structural organization of the cuticle is ubiquitous in arthropods: a hierarchically structured organic matrix composed of planes of parallel chitin-protein fibers that are stacked in a twisted plywood organization [1] associated with various amounts of minerals. The land-dwelling crustacean Porcellioscaber (P. scaber) is a well-established model organism for the study of the bio-mineralization processes [2, 3].