Anti-wear properties of the molluscan shell Scapharca subcrenata: Influence of surface morphology, structure and organic material on the elementary wear process

• We found that the S. subcrenata shell has an anti-wear ability.
• This is related to the morphology, structure and material of the shell surface.
• Organic material is the principal coupling element in its anti-wear ability.
• Rib morphology could be considered the secondary coupling element.
• The coupled structure could be regarded as the general coupling element.

As a typical natural biological mineralisation material, molluscan shells have excellent wear-resistance properties that result from the interactions amongst biological coupling elements such as morphology, structure and material. The in-depth study of the wear-resistance performance of shells and the contribution made by each coupling element may help to promote the development of new bionic wear-resistant devices. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of surface morphology (rib distribution on the shell), structure (rib coupled with nodules) and material (organic matter) on the anti-wear performance of the molluscan Scapharca subcrenata shell. The effect and contribution of each of these biological coupling elements were systematically investigated using the comparative experiment method. All three were found to exert significant effects on the shell's wear-resistance ability, and their individual contributions to that ability were revealed. Organic material can be classified as the principal coupling element, rib morphology as the secondary coupling element and the combined rib-nodule structure as the general coupling element.