The Hierarchical Architecture of Nacre and Its Mimetic Material

Mother-of-pearl has a three-level nanoscopic-to-macroscopic hierarchical architecture, which provides storage for organic molecules at the nanoscale. A material that mimics the hierarchical architecture and nanostorage properties of nacre emerges from the simple crystallization of potassium sulfate and poly(acrylic acid) (see picture). Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2002/2005/z500338_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.