On the incorporation of functionalities into hydroxyapatite capsules.

Nature is capable of building materials with tailor-made properties under ambient conditions for specific applications. We apply some of the basic building principles of biomineralization in this paper: we stabilize an oil/water emulsion with the protein hydrophobin and mineralize this emulsion, resulting in hollow mineral capsules. The use of an emulsion as a liquid template enables precise size control over the final capsules.