Mollusk shells have highly complex hierarchical structures and unique mechanical properties, which have been widely studied, especially in fresh shells. However, few studies have revealed differences in the structure-property correlations of shells during the permineralization process, which occurs after organism death. To better understand the effect of permineralization on the microstructure and mechanical properties of shells, this study investigated and compared the compositions, microstructures, and mechanical properties of Tridacna gigas and permineralized J-Tridacna gigas. The results showed that permineralized J-Tridacna gigas possessed coarsened aragonite minerals, less anisotropy and organic matter, and higher hardness and strength than Tridacna gigas. The toughening mechanisms of Tridacna gigas, including crack deflection, aragonite platelet pull-out, and mineral bridges, were discovered during Vickers hardness tests. Moreover, the permineralization mechanism comprised three main steps: organic matter dissolution, aragonite plate compaction, and recrystallization. This work further elaborates the permineralization mechanism, which can help increase the crystal size and improve the strength and hardness of materials. Moreover, this study provides valuable insights into the design of bioinspired advanced materials with outstanding hardness and strength.

软体动物的贝壳具有高度复杂的层次结构和独特的机械性能，这已被广泛研究，尤其是在新鲜贝壳中。然而，很少有研究揭示出在矿化过程中，在生物体死亡后发生的壳的结构-特性相关性方面的差异。为了更好地理解permineralization的微观结构和壳的力学性能的影响，这项研究调查和比较的组成，微观结构和机械性能砗和permineralized J-砗。结果表明，矿化的J- Tridacna gigas具有较粗的文石矿物，各向异性和有机质较少，硬度和强度均高于Tridacna gigas。在维氏硬度测试过程中发现了Tridacna gigas的增韧机理，包括裂纹挠度，文石血小板拉出和矿物桥。此外，矿化作用机理包括三个主要步骤：有机物溶解，文石板压实和重结晶。这项工作进一步阐明了矿化机制，可以帮助增加晶体尺寸并提高材料的强度和硬度。此外，这项研究为具有出色硬度和强度的受生物启发的高级材料的设计提供了宝贵的见识。