%0 Journal Article %J Biomaterials %D 2005 %T Multiscale structure of sheet nacre %A Rousseau, M %A Lopez, E %A Stempfle, P %A Brendlé, M %A Franke, L %A Guette, A %A Naslain, R %A Bourrat, X %X This work was conducted on Pinctada maxima nacre (mother of pearl) in order to understand its multiscale ordering and the role of the organic matrix in its structure. Intermittent-contact atomic force microscopy with phase detection imaging reveals a nanostructure within the tablet. A continuous organic framework divides each tablet into nanograins. T heir shape is supposed to be flat with a mean extension of 45 nm. TEM performed in the darkfield mode evidences that at least part of the intracrystalline matrix is crystallized and responds like a 'single crystal'. The tablet is a 'hybrid composite'. The organic. matrix is continuous. The mineral phase is thus finely divided still behaving as a single crystal. It is proposed that each tablet results from the coherent aggregation of nanograins keeping strictly the same crystallographic orientation thanks to a hetero-epitaxy mechanism. Finally, high-resolution TEM performed on bridges from one tablet to the next, in the overlying row, did not permit to evidence a mineral lattice but crystallized organic bridges. The same organic bridges were evidenced by SEM in the interlaminar sequence. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. %B Biomaterials %V 26 %P 6254–6262 %G eng %R 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2005.03.028