Abstract
Silicification at neutral pH and under ambient conditions is of growing interest due to its close relationship with biosilicification. In diatoms biosilicification has been reported to occur at (or close to) neutral pH and it has been shown that protein molecules act as catalysts/templates/scaffolds for this elegant materials chemistry. In this investigation various catalysts/templates have been studied for their role in silicification in vitro. We have used functionalized C60 fullerene, R5 (an important polypeptide from the amino acid sequence of a silaffin protein), poly-l-lysine (PLL) and two poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) samples having different molecular weights. An aqueous silica precursor was used and ordered silica structures were produced in each of the systems studied. The sizes of the silica structures appear to correlate with the size, in solution, of the templating/scaffolding agents. Biological systems exhibit hierarchical structures with remarkable control of morphologies over different length scales. The use of templating/scaffolding agents having different sizes and shapes is one possible paradigm for the production of such structures in vivo.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
T. L. Simpson and B. E. Volcani, eds., Silicon and Siliceous Structures in Biological Systems (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1981).
N. Kroger, R. Deutzmann, and M. Sumper, Science 286, 1129 (1999).
K. Shimizu, J. N. Cha, G. D. Stucky, and D. E. Morse, PNAS 95, 6234 (1998). Silicification and Biosilicification 115
C. C. Harrison (formerly Perry), Phytochemistry 41(1), 37 (1996).
S. V. Patwardhan, N. Mukherjee, and S. J. Clarson, J. Inorg. Organomet. Polym. 11(3), 193 (2001).
S. V. Patwardhan and S. J. Clarson, Silicon Chemistry (2002), in press.
S. V. Patwardhan, M. F. Durstock, and S. J. Clarson, in Synthesis and Properties of Silicones and Silicone-Modified Materials (ACS Symposium Series, 2002), in press.
J. N. Cha, G. D. Stucky, D. E. Morse, and T. J. Deming, Nature 403, 289 (2000).
S. V. Patwardhan and S. J. Clarson, Polym. Bull. 48, 387 (2002).
S. V. Patwardhan, N. Mukherjee, and S. J. Clarson, Silicon Chemistry 1(1), 47 (2002).
S. V. Patwardhan, M.S. thesis (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Cincinnati, OH, USA, 2002).
N. Kroger, R. Deutzmann, C. Bergsdorf, and M. Sumper, PNAS 97(26), 14133 (2000).
S. V. Patwardhan, N. Mukherjee, and S. J. Clarson, J. Inorg. Organomet. Polym. 11(2), 117 (2001).
S. V. Patwardhan, N. Mukherjee, M. F. Durstock, L. Y. Chiang, and S. J. Clarson, J. Inorg. Organomet. Polym. 12(1/2), 49 (2002).
R. Tacke, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 38(20), 3015 (1999).
S. J. Clarson, P. W. Whitlock, S. V. Patwardhan, L. L. Brott, R. R. Naik, and M. O. Stone, Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering 86, 81 (2002).
T. Coradin and J. Livage, Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces 21, 329 (2001).
S. V. Patwardhan and S. J. Clarson, manuscript in preparation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Patwardhan, S.V., Clarson, S.J. Silicification and Biosilicification. Part 4. Effect of Template Size on the Formation of Silica. Journal of Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers 12, 109–116 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021257713504
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021257713504