Amoebae Assemble Synthetic Spherical Particles To Form Reproducible Constructs.

Difflugia are testate amoebae that use particulate inorganic matter to build a protective shell (generally called a test or theca). Difflugia globulosa were grown both in culture containing only naturally occurring theca-building materials and under conditions where synthetic particles were present also. The presence of monodisperse Stöber silica microspheres of 1, 3, and 6 μm in diameter or 4 μm polystyrene spheres dramatically increased the rate of Difflugia growth, and foreign microspheres became the overwhelmingly dominant construction material.

Lipase catalyzed synthesis of silicone polyesters.

Immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) was successfully employed as a catalyst to synthesize silicone aromatic polyesters by the transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate with alpha,omega-bis(hydroxyalkyl)-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) in toluene under mild reaction conditions.

Fiber technology for reliable repair of skeletal muscle.

Conventional soft-tissue reclosure methods-sutures and staples-require substantial organized-collagen content. Some tissues lack extensive intrinsic collagenous content. Wound disruption consequences range from newly closed abdominal wounds bursting open, to post-cesarean wombs splitting at delivery, to heart valves loosening.

Conformation and assembly of polypeptide scaffolds in templating the synthesis of silica: an example of a polylysine macromolecular "switch".

Although the role of polycationic macromolecules in catalyzing the synthesis of silica structures is well established, detailed understanding of the mechanisms behind the production of silica structures of controlled morphologies remains unclear. In this study, we have used both poly-L-lysine (PLL) and/or poly-D-lysine (PDL) for silica synthesis to investigate mechanisms controlling inorganic morphologies. The formation of both spherical silica particles and hexagonal plates was observed.

On the role(s) of additives in bioinspired silicification.

Biological organisms are able to direct the formation of patterned and hierarchical biomineral structures. Extractable organic materials have been found entrapped in diatom, sponge and plant biosilica, some of which have been isolated by selective chemical dissolution methods and their composition and structure studied. Information gained from the bioextracts has inspired materials chemists to design biomimetic analogues and develop bioinspired synthetic schemes for silica formation.