Biomineralization: New Routes to Crystal Engineering

Abstract

AbstractThis paper discusses the principal features of biomineralization in relation to the controlled crystallization of inorganic materials, and the modelling of these conceptsin vitro. The biological strategies adopted in the regulation of nucleation and growth are; (a) the use of constrained reaction environments, (b) the synthesis of chemically and structurally specific organic macromolecules, and (c) the secretion of tailor-made additives of low and high molecular weight. Underlying these strategies is the concept of molecular recognition at interfaces comprising organic and inorganic surfaces. The structural, electrostatic and stereochemical aspects of these interfacial interactions in systems involving supramolecular asemblies, Langmuir monomolecular films and tailored additives will be described.