Abstract
This study presents the characterization of the skeletal structure of the coral Fungia simplex, a hermatypic resident of the shallow zones of tropical reefs. In contrast to most cnidarians, this species has a unique multi-septal skeletal architecture. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed the skeletal microstructure to be made up of bundles of thin needles of prismatic crystals. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the crystals are composed of aragonite with a preferred orientation exposing the {221} planes parallel to the septal surface and tilted by 20° with respect to the growth (c-) direction.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 473-477 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Materials Science and Engineering C |
Volume | 23 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 10 Jun 2003 |
Keywords
- Aragonite
- Atomic force microscopy
- Biomineralization
- Calcium carbonate
- X-ray diffraction
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Mechanics of Materials
- Mechanical Engineering