Book 26, Question 40 · Video
Why is mother-of-pearl so tough?
The shiny inside of a shell, called mother-of-pearl or nacre, is built from tiny flat tiles of a hard mineral stacked like bricks and glued by soft layers. When a crack starts, the layers stop it from spreading. This makes nacre much tougher than the mineral by itself. Scientists are making materials with this brick-and-glue design for strong coatings and armor-like panels.
Read the full answer →Watch on YouTubeSee the series on Amazon
What Crafty Clover says in this video
Intro
Hi there, curious minds! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. Why is mother-of-pearl so tough?
The Big Idea
The inside of some shells is shiny and rainbow-colored. It's called mother-of-pearl! And it's amazingly tough.
Nacre
Step one: Nacre. The shiny inside of a shell, called mother-of-pearl or nacre, is built from tiny flat tiles of a hard mineral. The tiles are stacked like bricks and glued by soft layers.
Stopping Cracks
Step two: Stopping Cracks. When a crack starts, the soft layers stop it from spreading. This makes nacre much tougher than the mineral by itself.
New Materials
Step three: New Materials. Scientists are making materials with this brick-and-glue design. They hope to make strong coatings and armor-like panels.
A Closer Look
Let's take a closer look! Tiles are hard. Glue is soft. Cracks get stopped. Light makes rainbows.
Quick Facts
Quick facts! Mollusks build the shell layers from seawater minerals. Rainbow shine from layers. Found in oysters and abalone. Tougher than plain mineral.
Think Like a Scientist
Now, think like a scientist! Stack index cards with glue in between. Let the glue dry. Try to bend the stack. Compare it with a single thick card. Which is tougher?
Outro
Mother-of-pearl is tough because tiny mineral tiles are stacked like bricks with soft glue layers that stop cracks from spreading. Scientists copy this design for strong materials. Strength can come from clever layers. Science is amazing! Keep asking questions! The more you look around, the more wonders you will find, so keep your eyes open! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!