Evaluation of strengthening mechanisms in calcite single crystals from mollusk shells

Biogenic single-crystal calcite is often reported to be harder and tougher than geologic calcite in the form of Iceland spar. However, the mechanistic origins of the superior mechanical properties of the biogenic materials are still debated. We investigate the hardness and modulus of biogenic calcite from the prismatic layer of the mollusk Atrina rigida compared with a pure geologic calcite, Iceland spar. On the {0 0 1} face, biogenic calcite is found to be 50–70% harder than geologic calcite. This range is due to the fact that changes in azimuthal angle of the indenter tip lead to a hardness variation of ∼20% in A. rigida but only ∼7% in Iceland spar. The higher hardness and increased anisotropy of biogenic calcite could be accounted for by hardening mechanisms based on hindered dislocation motion rather than crack deflection.