Titanium uptake and incorporation into silica nanostructures by the diatom sp. (Bacillariophyceae).

Diatoms are an ecologically successful group within the phytoplankton, and their special feature is a biofabricated silica cell encasement called a frustule. These frustules attract interest in material technology, and one potential application is to use them in solar cell technology. The silica frustule with its nanoscaled pattern is interesting per se, but the utility is enhanced if we succeed in incorporating other elements.