Abstract

Synthesis of useful organic/inorganic hybrid materials inspired by biomineralization: organic molecular control of hybrid self-organization

Author(s): Elyna Roshan*

Biominerals are a class of organic/inorganic hybrid compounds produced by living things. They develop as a result of the self-organization of inorganic and organic components in an ambient environment. Because of their exceptional physical and chemical capabilities, which cannot be achieved by the simple aggregation of their organic and inorganic ingredients, biominerals frequently exhibit highly ordered and hierarchical structures from nanoscale to macroscopic length scales. These findings inspire us to develop novel functional materials with qualities that outperform those of existing materials, both synthetic and natural. Here, we discuss recent developments in the molecular understanding of biomineralization processes and how these processes lead to the creation of organic/inorganic hybrid materials. We explicitly address material creation based on fundamental molecular investigations on silica, iron oxide, and calcium carbonate biomineralization.