Abalone Shell Research Articles

Characteristics of Carbonated Hydroxyapatite Based on Abalone Mussel Shells (Halioitis asinina) Synthesized by Precipitation Method with Aging Time Variations

Carbonated Hydroxyapatite (CHAp) is a substituted-hydroxyapatite (HAp) with carbonate ions that are similar to natural inorganic bone constituents. The CHAp can be synthesized from natural material that has high calcium carbonate, such as abalone shells (Halioitis asinina), with a calcium carbonate content of 90-95% of the total abalone shell weight. In this study, the precipitation method has succeeded in synthesizing CHAp. The effect of aging time variations (0, 24, and 48 hours) during the synthesis process on CHAp characteristics was investigated. Characterization of the samples were conducted using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). Based on XRD data analysis, the diffraction peaks at32.02° were observed in all variations of aging time, i.e., the characteristics of B-type CHAp phase, in which the increasing of aging time reduces its crystallinity. B-type CHAp was formed when carbonate ions substitute the phosphate ions in the structure of HAp, as confirmed by EDX analysis. This means that the increasing of aging time improves its Ca/P mole ratio (1.71-1.81), which is greater than the Ca/P mole ratio of stoichiometric HAp (1.67). This is due to an increase in the number of carbonate ions that replace the position of phosphate ions as aging time increases. This is also confirmed by FTIR analysis, which showed that the increasing of aging time cause stronger absorption of carbonate ion in 872.9 cm−1, characteristics to B-type CHAp. From data analysis, it can be concluded that 48 hours aging time was the optimum time to produce B-type CHAp which has similar characteristics to natural bone apatite with low crystallinity.

Naturally occurring order-disorder duality in photonic structures of the Haliotis fulgens abalone shell

We experimentally realize the ordered and disordered photonic structures in a single system by taking advantage of the nacre structures in the Haliotis fulgens abalone shell. The nacre layers naturally contain different degrees of disorder in thickness, ranging from quasi-order to strong disorder. Using optical characterization, numerical simulation, and SEM image analysis, we show that such wide range of disorder strength affords a full account of the transformation of periodicity-induced wave transport into disorder-induced wave transport. We believe this unique biophotonic platform will be an object of interest for both fundamental and applied photonic researches in the field of disordered photonics.

Octopus as predators of abalone on a sea ranch

AbstractThis study examined the occurrence of octopus across an abalone, Haliotis laevigata, Donovan, sea ranch in south‐western Australia, to understand how octopus may be impacting abalone production. Commercial divers removed 654 octopus and 17,666 empty abalone shells during regular, 2 to 4‐weekly surveys over 27 months. A negative binomial generalised linear model estimated a 78% increase in empty shells per artificial abalone habitat per day, when octopuses were present, after adjusting for location and season. Of the 408 shells examined for evidence of predation, 19% had a small, slightly ovoid hole consistent with those made by octopus. The mean (± 1 SE) length of shells with boreholes (70.3 ± 2.2 mm) was significantly longer than those without (59.8 ± 0.5 mm), and boreholes were concentrated over the adductor, respiratory organs and heart. This study provides important insights into the adaptable feeding regimes of octopus and their potential to impose strong top‐down controls on sea ranching operations.

Secondary Development and Application of Bio-Inspired Isolation System

Near-fault pulse motions will cause excessive and much larger base displacement in traditional isolated structures than common earthquake motions. The new isolation system inspired by the “sacrificial bonds and hidden length” biomechanics of an abalone shell can control the base displacement efficiently and reach almost the same vibration isolation efficiency as a semi-active control system. The current research is confined to the lumped mass model and cannot uncover the exact performance of isolators and structures in practical applications. A user subroutine is developed based on the interface of UEL in Abaqus. Subsequent verification has been done in both the lumped mass model and 3D complex model with Abaqus, Matlab/Simulink, and SAP2000. It can be revealed from the comparative results that the calculation accuracy of the secondary developed user subroutine can meet the demand of design and research.

Bulletproof Performance of Hybrid Plates using a Composite Laminated with Abalone Shell Fragments

Bulletproof Performance of Hybrid Plates using a Composite Laminated with Abalone Shell Fragments

Optical Properties of Individual Aragonite Plates from Nacre

AbstractThe unique structural architecture of nacre from sea shells (e. g., mussel, pearl oyster, and abalone shells) is the basis of this substance's brilliant iridescent coloration. In fact, nacre consists of alternating bilayers of plate‐shaped aragonite and an organic binder. In this paper, we first report the optical characteristics of individual aragonite plates derived from nacre. A simple chemical method is employed to disintegrate nacre without structural and polymorphism changes. Implementation of this method enable us to investigate the optical properties of individual aragonite plates. Evidence indicate that most light is transmitted by aragonite plates, a phenomenon that contributes substantially to the fantastic iridescent colors displayed by nacre. Reflected light, on the other hand, displays wavelength selectivity that depends on the thickness of the aragonite plates. As typical material applications, natural aragonite plates are utilized as transparent fillers and as a pigment for surface coating. Aside from their use as optical materials, aragonite plates can also be employed as a solid support for the growth of metal nanoparticles and utilize for surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Preparation of controllable hydroxyapaptite nanoparticles with abalone shells

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) is the foremost inorganic components of human hard tissues and has been widely applied as biomaterials for replacing or repairing. In this study, hydroxyapaptite (HAP) nanoparticles with controllable morphology were facilely synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of abandoned abalone shells without adding any organic template agent. The morphology of HAP nanoparticles could be tailored by manipulating the hydrothermal temperature (from 60 °C to 150 °C). And it covers leaf-like, flower-like, fish scale-like, snow-like and rod-like shape. Besides, a small amount of calcium carbonate was left in the HAP particles, which was gradually decreased as the hydrothermal temperature increased and all of the samples have negative surface potential. This study provides a solution for synthesis of different HAP nanoparticle morphology from abandoned abalone shell.

Prehistoric Shellfish Utilization and Settlement Systems on Western Santa Cruz Island

Archaeologists generally have not taken advantage of the distinctive characteristics of assemblages of shellfish remains from prehistoric sites to gain information about movement of people between sites within their territory. I attempt to demonstrate this potential through analysis of shell assemblages obtained through small-scale test excavation at 2 archaeological sites in the interior of Santa Cruz Island: CA-SCRI-796 in the western sector of the island and CA-SCRI-758 at an upland location in the central sector. An aspect of the data analysis focused on strata containing an abundance of red abalone shells, dating sometime between 3700 and 3350 cal BC at CA-SCRI-796 and sometime between 4900 and 4325 cal BC at CA-SCRI-758. Also considered are assemblages from later strata at CA-SCRI-758, dating between 2600 and 1600 cal BC. Alternative hypotheses to account for the differences between the sites in proportions of shellfish taxa represented are the following: differences in proportional abundances of taxa at the localities where site inhabitants collected shellfish, changes over time in the character of shellfish communities, different distances of the sites from sources of shellfish, and variation in the intensity of shellfish collecting. The first alternative appears to account for most of the differences between assemblages, thus providing information about the geographic extent of settlement systems.

Nanoscale structural and polar behavior in abalone and clamshell probed by scanning probe microscopy

Nanoscale structural and polar behavior in abalone and clamshell have been studied using the scanning probe techniques. Untreated pristine sample surfaces were probed to realize their intrinsic electrical properties. While prominent polarization switching under opposite bias field is observed in the clusters of nanograins of the abalone shell, the piezoelectric phase contrasts remained confined mostly at the grain-grain boundary regions in the clamshell. These shells mostly comprised of centrosymmetric CaCO3, the observed polar responses is attributed to the structural distortion initiated by the intra-granular organic phase of the biopolymers. The biopolymer-nanocrystalline layered (as found in abalone shell) or 3:1 composite structure (as found in clamshell) bear an analogy with the piezoelectric composites, where due to the stretching/twisting of the biopolymers under external mechanical stress, the piezoelectric responses get originated owing to the intrinsic electromechanical coupling.

Ultrathin and Strong Electrospun Porous Fiber Separator

An ideal separator of lithium-ion battery (LIB) should have a zero ionic resistance. Low ionic resistance (high ionic conductivity) will greatly help to realize very fast ion diffusion and superhigh rate capability of LIBs. The most effective technique to achieve low ionic resistance of separator is to reduce its thickness or increase its porosity. Paradoxically, the low thickness and high porosity will inevitably decrease the mechanical strength of separators. Inspired by the hierarchical structures of abalone shell, we demonstrate in this work an ultrathin silica-anchored layered (PVdF/PE/PVdF) porous fiber separator prepared via electrospinning. The separator displays both ultrathin thickness (∼20 μm thick) and high mechanical strength of ∼11.2 MPa, as well as high porosity, which results in high electrolyte uptake (∼380%) and ionic conductivity (∼2.5 mS cm–1). When such thin separator was deployed in a LiFePO4/Li cell, and the cell can deliver an initial discharge capacity of 134.3 mA h g–1 at a high rate of 10 C and maintain a capacity of 129.2 mA h g–1 after 300 charge–discharge cycles, showing excellent high-rate performance. More interestingly, this study demonstrates a pathway for the development of ultrathin and high-mechanical-strength electrospun separators for high-rate Li-ion batteries.

Low velocity impact resistance of bio-inspired building ceramic composites with nacre-like structure

Nacre in abalone shell exhibits prominently high toughness and remarkable inelasticity when subjected to the external loads, despite the brittle nature of its main constituent. Aiming to improve the impact resistance of the building composite materials, inspired from nacre, a layered and staggered structural system based on the building ceramic mosaic tiles joined with soft adhesive was designed and fabricated. Then, the ACI 544 drop weight test was performed on the above bio-inspired building ceramic composites, and the effects of partitioned tile layer, impact location, stagger mode, tile shape and size, adhesive type, as well as fiberglass mesh were experimentally assessed. The experimental results show high impact resistance of the proposed bio-inspired building ceramic composites under low velocity drop weight impact, and a design approach is proposed. The obtained conclusions could provide some helpful references for the design of protective structures.

Temporal and spatial patterns in behavioral responses of marine predators to a sudden influx of abalone prey (Haliotis rufescens)

Predator–prey interactions exist on a variety of spatial and temporal scales; one of the earliest measurable responses to changes in these interactions is behavior. We examined the behavior of southern California kelp forest predators in response to a concentrated increase in the abundance of abalone during a restoration stocking experiment. We tested three hypotheses: (1) kelp forest predator density will increase following abalone stocking, (2) variations in predator characteristics will create an unequal impact on abalone, and (3) predation intensity will be greatest early in the experiment. Octopus discovered and exploited the influx of prey within the first week following stocking; their densities surged and then returned to pre-stocking levels after 2 months. This was not observed with any other predator. Damage from crustacean, fish, and octopus predation was observed on the recovered abalone shells, but were not correlated with predator densities. A larger percentage of recovered small shells had evidence of crustacean and fish predation, indicating there may be size-specific impacts of predators on abalone. Our results demonstrate that restoration stocking experiments can quantitatively test the predatory community’s response to reintroductions, as well as predation risk of newly stocked prey species when exposed to a diverse suite of predators.

Fishnet model for failure probability tail of nacre-like imbricated lamellar materials

Nacre, the iridescent material of the shells of pearl oysters and abalone, consists mostly of aragonite (a form of CaCO3), a brittle constituent of relatively low strength ([Formula: see text]10 MPa). Yet it has astonishing mean tensile strength ([Formula: see text]150 MPa) and fracture energy ([Formula: see text]350 to 1,240 J/m2). The reasons have recently become well understood: (i) the nanoscale thickness ([Formula: see text]300 nm) of nacre's building blocks, the aragonite lamellae (or platelets), and (ii) the imbricated, or staggered, arrangement of these lamellea, bound by biopolymer layers only [Formula: see text]25 nm thick, occupying [Formula: see text] of volume. These properties inspire manmade biomimetic materials. For engineering applications, however, the failure probability of [Formula: see text] is generally required. To guarantee it, the type of probability density function (pdf) of strength, including its tail, must be determined. This objective, not pursued previously, is hardly achievable by experiments alone, since [Formula: see text] tests of specimens would be needed. Here we outline a statistical model of strength that resembles a fishnet pulled diagonally, captures the tail of pdf of strength and, importantly, allows analytical safety assessments of nacreous materials. The analysis shows that, in terms of safety, the imbricated lamellar structure provides a major additional advantage-∼10% strength increase at tail failure probability [Formula: see text] and a 1 to 2 orders of magnitude tail probability decrease at fixed stress. Another advantage is that a high scatter of microstructure properties diminishes the strength difference between the mean and the probability tail, compared with the weakest link model. These advantages of nacre-like materials are here justified analytically and supported by millions of Monte Carlo simulations.

Identification Guide and Iconography of Eastern Pacific Hybrid Abalone Shells (Genus Haliotis) Part 2 of 2

There are seven species of Haliotis that inhabit the rocky coastline and offshore islands in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and hybridization has been observed, though very rarely, among them. This manuscript along with photo images of known hybrid specimens will serve as a guide to identifying hybrid abalone shells of this area.

Synthesis and Characterization of β-Tricalcium Phosphate Derived From Haliotis sp. Shells.

To develop a methodology for the synthesis of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP, Ca3(PO4)2) from the shell of Haliotis sp. (abalone shell) and to verify its characterization and biocompatibility. Calcium oxide (CaO) was synthesized from abalone shell by sintering and was suspended in distilled water to prepare calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2). For the synthesis of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), carbon dioxide was used to infuse Ca(OH)2 at pH 7.4. CaCO3 was reacted with phosphoric acid at pH 6.0 to obtain dicalcium phosphate (CaHPO4). Subsequently, β-TCP was synthesized by a chemical reaction between CaHPO4 and CaO at 950°C to 1100°C for 3 hours. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) was performed to verify the physiochemical characteristics of the composite synthesized from abalone shell. FT-IR and XRD results showed that β-TCP was successfully synthesized from abalone shell. The synthesized β-TCP did not affect cell viability of either normal human oral keratinocytes or osteoblastic MG-63 cells. These data indicate that β-TCP synthesized from abalone shell is biologically safe. β-TCP (Ca3(PO4)2) synthesized from abalone shell can be used as a potential source of bone grafting material.

Effects for rapid conversion from abalone shell to hydroxyapaptite nanosheets by ionic surfactants

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) has been widely used for repairing or substituting human hard tissues. In this paper, two typical ionic surfactants, cation hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and anion sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), were used for rapid conversion of HAP from abalone shell. From field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), the prepared HAP is flake-like structure. From X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermal analysis, these samples contain a small amount of calcium carbonate whose content gradually increases by increasing the surfactants. The results showed that the HAP formed fast on the layer of abalone shell powder with the assistance of CTAB and SDS.

Identification Guide and Iconography of Eastern Pacific Hybrid Abalone Shells (Genus Haliotis) Part 1 of 2

There are seven species of Haliotis that inhabit the rocky coastline and offshore islands in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and hybridization has been observed, though very rarely, among them. This manuscript along with photo images of known hybrid specimens will serve as a guide to identifying hybrid abalone shells of this area.

Bdellovibrio and like organisms promoted growth and survival of juvenile abalone Haliotis discus hannai Ino and modulated bacterial community structures in its gut

In this study, Bdellovibrio and like organisms (BALOs) strain BDH12 that possessed a wide lysis spectrum was tested in coldwater abalone (Haliotis discus hannai Ino) juvenile rearing, and its effect on survival and growth and on gut bacterial communities was investigated. A 90-day rearing experiment at the production level was performed. At the end, juvenile abalone grew from the initial shell length of 4.0 ± 1.0 to 12.63 ± 2.12 mm in control and 14.89 ± 1.27 mm in test (p < 0.05). With the addition of BDH12, abalone survival rate, percentage weight gain, shell length gain, and average daily growth in test reached 63.3 ± 1.87%, 6834 ± 39%, 272 ± 15%, and 4.56 ± 1.18 mg day−1, respectively, significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those in control, viz., 41.8 ± 3.36%, 4168 ± 47%, 216 ± 17%, and 2.78 ± 1.37 mg day−1, respectively. Total cultivable Vibrio counts (TCVC) and bacterial counts (TCBC) were enumerated by conventional culturing. Compared to control, TCVC and TCBC in test were reduced by 2.39 and 4.07 log colony forming units·mL−1, respectively, in rearing water (p < 0.05), and by 3.54 and 4.11 log CFU·g−1, respectively, in abalone guts (p < 0.05). Strong negative correlations were found between abalone shell length/weight with TCBC/TCVC in rearing water/guts (p < 0.01). Additionally, 16S rDNA-PCR and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profiles revealed that of the 27 species/strains sequenced, 51.85% (14) were shared by both control and test and 22.22% (6) reduced, of which 33.33% (2) were Vibrio. The results of this study demonstrated that BDH12 can be beneficially applied in coldwater abalone rearing.

A Cache Within a Cache: Description of an Abalone “Treasure-Box” from the CA-SNI-14 Redwood Box Cache, San Nicolas Island, Alta California

Excavation of a cache feature eroding from a sea cliff on the northwest coast of San Nicolas Island produced two redwood boxes containing more than 200 artifacts of Nicoleño, Native Alaskan, and Euroamerican origin, along with four asphaltum-lined basketry water bottles and other artifacts. An abalone shell “treasure-box” was found inside the western box of the feature that included a large black abalone shell dish containing 20 items and a second black abalone shell that served as a lid. This “cache within a cache” contained two finely crafted eccentric abalone fishhooks, three shell pendants, an abalone nacre spangle, two bird bone pendants, two stone beads, a piece of chlorite displaying striations, two unmodified shells, and seven bifaces made from exotic chert and bottle glass. This article describes the treasure-box and its contents, addressing stylistic and functional attributes and exploring how these items might relate to one another. Similar receptacles from the Channel Islands and southern California coast are also discussed. The contents of the abalone treasure-box represent utilitarian and ornamental items from the rich Nicoleño culture, stowed during the early to mid-nineteenth century, possibly by the famous Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island.

Colour change of greenlip abalone (Haliotis laevigata Donovan) fed formulated diets containing graded levels of dried macroalgae meal

This study evaluated the effects of supplementing dried macroalgae meal on the shell, foot and lip colour in terms of colour hue, saturation and brightness and pigment concentration in greenlip abalone Haliotis laevigata. Two species of dried macroalgae meal (Ulva sp. and Gracilaria cliftonii) at four levels (0% basal diet, 5%, 10% and 20%) of dietary inclusion were fed to the abalone (2.89±0.01g; shell length 22.41±0.06mm) for 92days. The abalone fed G. cliftonii meal developed brown-red colour on the shell and the increased inclusion of algal meal resulted in darker brown shells, whereas abalone fed Ulva sp. meal or the basal diet exhibited light green shells. Although foot hue and foot brightness were not influenced by the type and level of inclusion of dried algal meal, the foot colour saturation of abalone fed ≥10% macroalgal meal was significantly higher than those fed the basal diet. Abalone developed a green lip when fed ≥10% of G. cliftonii meal, whereas lip colour did not change when fed Ulva sp. meal inclusion, compared to the basal diet, and exhibited milky lip colour. Although diet pigments varied with the species of macroalgae and inclusion level, β-carotene was the major pigment in the tissue of abalone fed all test diets and its content increased significantly with the inclusion level of macroalgae in the diet. Abalone fed the basal diet had significantly lower tissue β-carotene than those fed the diets with macroalgal inclusion. This study suggests that the inclusion of ≥5% G. cliftonii can produce a brown-red shell and the inclusion of ≥10% G. cliftonii intensifies the green colour of the lip. The brown-red colour mark on the shell by feeding macroalgal meal may be used as a harmless shell-marking method for ranching, stock enhancement or growth study in the wild. Statement of relevanceFeed manipulation can change abalone shell, foot and lip colour.