HIERARCHICAL INORGANIC MATERIALS: STEALING NATURE'S BEST SECRETS Modular Chemistry Over Three Length Scales

摘要

This paper describes the stages that led up to our discovery of the use of vesicle-type templates in the synthesis of hierarchical inorganic materials that resemble biomineralized ultrastructures. The formation of the ultrastructure begins with the self-assembly of a mixed surfactant-cosurfactant, patterned vesicle template with a mesolamellar architecture. Vesicle patterning arises from its phase-separation into domains. The transport of inorganic precursors through the cosurfactant domains, and the nucleation and growth of the inorganic phase in the surfactant regions of the vesicle, lead to the remarkable ultrastructured products described in this paper. This accomplishment shows that vesicles can sculpt impressive macroscopic forms and surface ornamentations. A "cellular" model that is inspired by biological design principles for synthesizing hierarchical materials, with inorganic and organic components connected at interfaces, accounts for the observations. Based on this work, the prospects for the synthesis of biologically inspired, self-assembling, inorganic macrostructures look most promising.