Bridged Nanocrystals in Biominerals and Their Biomimetics: Classical Yet Modern Crystal Growth on the Nanoscale

We demonstrate nanoscale architectures in real biominerals and their biomimetics. Mimicking biomineralization, that is, crystal design in association with organic molecules, has been demonstrated in recent years. Although the macroscopic morphologies in real biominerals and biomimetics have been ext...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advanced functional materials 2006-08, Vol.16 (12), p.1633-1639
Main Authors: Oaki, Y., Kotachi, A., Miura, T., Imai, H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomimetics
Calcium carbonate
Nanocrystals
Polymer nanocomposites
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Summary:We demonstrate nanoscale architectures in real biominerals and their biomimetics. Mimicking biomineralization, that is, crystal design in association with organic molecules, has been demonstrated in recent years. Although the macroscopic morphologies in real biominerals and biomimetics have been extensively studied, the nanoscopic structures in terms of the crystal growth are still not fully understood. We show that both materials form oriented architectures of bridged nanocrystals with incorporated organic polymers. The growth of nanocrystals by association with polymers is a significant step for the understanding and developing of crystal growth. The strategy could be applied to various systems in nanoscale crystal growth leading to functional materials. Calcium carbonate biominerals and their biomimetics are made by the oriented architecture of bridged nanocrystals associated with polymers. The nanoscopic mineral bridges direct the crystal growth, leading to a variety of macroscopic morphologies (see figure). Crystal growth can thus be used in materials processing for a wide range of applications.
ISSN:1616-301X
1616-3028
DOI:10.1002/adfm.200600262