Biomimetic fabrication of materials: the minimalist approach

The interfacial chemistry between inorganic ceramics and defined organic surfaces is the focus of intense investigation. Partially compressed Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers of anionic porphyrins have been used as modified nucleation sites for calcium carbonate. The porphyrin monolayer has an ordered array of carboxylates, and hence the system serves as a minimalist template for the modeling of complex biogenic acidic glycoproteins for biomineralization. The initial results suggest the formation of calcite with morphologically distinct calcitic rhombs with truncated, 3-edged corners and intricately articulated facial cavities. Stearic acid monolayers yield distinctly different calcite crystals, indicative that the geometrically defined carboxylate array is probably important. Phosphatidylcholine vesicles have been used as a tool for the formation of membrane encapsulated iron-oxides. Gramicindin A ion channels have been embedded in vesicles to kinetically alter the formation and growth of iron oxides, starting with intravesicular ferrous chloride. The results indicate that the presence of ion channels lead to the formation of magnetite vis-a-vis maghemite formation in vesicles lacking the ion channels. The use of ion channels has important implications in probable signal transduction processes during biomineralization pathways.