Structural Chemistry & Crystallography Communication

Unlocking Natureâ??s nano-engineering potential

Nature’s supreme dexterity in hierarchical structuring manifests itself in the remarkable complexity of higher organisms that arises from cell differentiation. But even some of the simplest organisms present in abundance at the Earth surface demonstrate tremendous ability to create intricate nanostructures, including using hard and stiff materials, such as silica and calcium carbonate. As a case in point, we consider unicellular green algae, diatoms. These CO2 capturing, photosynthesizing organisms produce around a quarter of oxygen contributed to the atmosphere by this mechanism, and generate a quarter of all biomass on the planet. A key feature of diatom algae is the nanostructured exoskeleton, known as frustule, that is made from amorphous hydrated silica. I shall overview some key aspects of this Nature’s nano-fabrication facility, and touch upon their significance in the context of different disciplines, from mineralogy to electronics

Author(s):

Alexander M. Korsunsky

Abstract | PDF

Share this