Bioinspired Silicas: Sponge Skeletons as a Model

摘要

In the last few years, biomineralization, in particular biosilicification, has become an exciting source of inspiration for the development of novel bionic approaches, following "Nature as model". It had been the siliceous sponges comprising both marine species and freshwater species that had developed the unique ability to form their skeleton using a specific enzyme termed silicatein. Biocatalytically active silicatein can be prepared in a recombinant way. The advantage of the en zymatic (silicatein-mediated) silica formation is the fact that inorganic silica glass, a material whose synthesis usually requires high temperatures and the use of caustic chemicals, can be synthesized at physiological conditions (low temperature, low pressure, and near-neutral pH). In addition, sponges produce their skeletal elements with high fidelity and in large copy number. Therefore, these organisms and the mecha nism underlying the formation of their silica skeleton are of exceptional interest for diverse applications in nanobiotechnology.