Design strategies of sea urchin teeth: structure, composition and micromechanical relations to function

Abstract

The teeth of sea urchins comprise a variety of different structural entities, all of which are composed of magnesium–bearing calcite together with a small amount of organic material. The teeth are worn down continuously, but in such a way that they remain sharp and functional. Here we describe aspects of the structural, compositional and micromechanical properties of the teeth of Paracentrotus lividus using scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectrometry, atomic absorption, X–ray diffraction and microindentation. The S–shaped single crystalline calcitic fibres are one of the main structural elements of the tooth. They extend from the stone part to the keel. The diameter of the fibres increases gradually from less than 1 micrometre at the stone tip to about 20 micrometres at the keel end, while their MgCO 3 contents decrease from about 13 mol per cent to about 4.5 mol %. Each fibre is coated by a thin organic sheath, and surrounded by polycrystalline calcitic discs containing as much as 35 mol % MgCO 3 . This structure constitutes a unique kind of gradient fibre–reinforced ceramic matrix composite, whose microhardness and toughness decrease gradually from the stone part to the keel. Primary plates are also important structural elements of the tooth. Each primary plate has a very unusual sandwich–like structure with a calcitic envelope surrounding a thin apparently amorphous CaCO 3 layer. This central layer, together with the primary plate/disc interface, improves the toughness of this zone by stopping and blunting cracks. The self–sharpening function of the teeth is believed to result from the combination of the geometrical shape of the main structural elements and their spatial arrangement, the interfacial strength between structural elements, and the hardness gradient extending from the working stone part to the surrounding zones. The sea urchin tooth structure possesses an array of interesting functional design features, some of which may possibly be applicable to materials science.