仿生无机纳米材料改造生物体的研究进展

在进化的过程中,生物体学会了利用材料来改造自身以适应环境的变化。自然界中的一些生物体可以通过生物矿化合成无机纳米材料为自己提供保护或其他特殊功能。但是自然界中还有部分生物体不具备生物矿化功能,受到自然界生物体利用纳米材料的启发,科学家们开始尝试通过人工赋予生物体纳米材料来对其进行改造。本文就基于生物-材料界面复合技术的纳米材料对生物体的改造,依次从调控机制、改造方法、功能应用等方面做了系统的阐述,重点介绍了通过仿生矿化对生物体进行纳米改造的研究进展,对仿生无机纳米材料改造生物体的领域现状做了分析和总结,并且对该领域的发展前景进行了展望。     

Biofabrication of biosilica-glass by living organisms

Biosilicification is an evolutionarily old and widespread type of biomineralization both in unicellular and multicellular organisms, including sponges, diatoms, radiolarians, choanoflagellates, and higher plants. In the last few years combined efforts in molecular biology, cell biology, and inorganic and analytical chemistry have allowed the first insight into the molecular mechanisms by which these organisms form an astonishing variety of siliceous structures that cannot be achieved by chemical methods. Here we report about the present stage of knowledge on structure, biochemical composition, and mechanisms of biosilica formation, focusing our attention particularly on sponges because of the enormous (nano)biotechnological potential of the enzymes involved in this process.     

Bioinspired mineralization of inorganics from aqueous media controlled by synthetic polymers

The formation of inorganic structures in nature is commonly controlled by biogenic macromolecules. The understanding of mineralization phenomena and the nucleation and growth mechanisms involved is still a challenge in science but also of great industrial interest. This article focuses on the formation and mineralization of two archetypical inorganic materials: zinc oxide and amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC). Zinc oxide is selected as a model compound to investigate the role that polymers play in mineralization. Most of the effort has been devoted to the investigation of the effects of double-hydrophilic block and graft copolymers. Recent work has demonstrated that latex particles synthesized by miniemulsion polymerization, properly functionalized by various chemical groups, have similar effects to conventional block copolymers and are excellently suited for morphology control of ZnO crystals. Latex particles might serve as analogues of natural proteins in biomineralization. The second example presented, ACC, addresses the issue of whether this amorphous phase is an intermediate in the biomineralization of calcite, vaterite, or aragonite. Conditions under which amorphous calcium carbonate can be obtained as nanometer-sized spheres as a consequence of a liquid-liquid phase segregation are presented. Addition of specific block copolymers allows control of the particle size from the micrometer to the submicrometer length scale. The physical properties of novel materials synthesized from concentrated solution and their potential applications as a filler of polymers are also discussed.     

基于生物矿化的生物壳工程

生物矿化是生物体提高自身存活能力的重要手段,可以通过无机非生命体实现对有机生命体的保护和功能化.得益于这些自然现象的启发,我们将生物矿化原理应用于各种生物单元的功能化改造,进一步提出了仿生壳工程概念.经过生物矿化改造后,生物体系可以维持原有生物性质但又被人工材料赋予了新功能,在材料、生物、医学等各个领域有着重要的价值.本文对基于生物矿化的壳工程修饰方法及其应用进行了介绍,并对该领域的研究前景进行了展望.     

Bio-directed synthesis and assembly of nanomaterials

This tutorial review provides an overview of bio-directed synthesis of nanomaterials, starting with the foundation of biomineralization research--how organisms are able to biomineralize materials in vivo--and progressing to studies of biomineralization in vitro. This research is of interest to biologists, chemists and materials scientists alike, especially in light of efforts to find 'greener' methods of inorganic material synthesis. Examples of applications of nanomaterials synthesized by these methods are provided to demonstrate the end goals of biomineralization research.     

From Bacteria to Mollusks: The Principles Underlying the Biomineralization of Iron Oxide Materials

Various organisms possess a genetic program that enables the controlled formation of a mineral, a process termed biomineralization. The variety of biological material architectures is mind‐boggling and arises from the ability of organisms to exert control over crystal nucleation and growth. The structure and composition of biominerals equip biomineralizing organisms with properties and functionalities that abiotically formed materials, made of the same mineral, usually lack. Therefore, elucidating the mechanisms underlying biomineralization and morphogenesis is of interdisciplinary interest to extract design principles that will enable the biomimetic formation of functional materials with similar capabilities. Herein, we summarize what is known about iron oxides formed by bacteria and mollusks for their magnetic and mechanical properties. We describe the chemical and biological machineries that are involved in controlling mineral precipitation and organization and show how these organisms are able to form highly complex structures under physiological conditions.     

无机材料的仿生合成

生物矿化重要的特征之一是细胞分泌的有机基质调制无机矿物的成核和生长, 形成具有特殊组装方式和多级结构特点的生物矿化材料(如骨、牙和贝壳)。仿生合成就是将生物矿化的机理引入无机材料合成, 以有机物的组装体为模板, 去控制无机物的形成,制备具有独特显微结构特点的无机材料, 使材料具有优异的物理和化学性能。仿生合成已成为无机材料化学的研究前沿。本文综述了无机材料仿生合成的发展现状。     

Control of Chiral Nanostructures by Self‐Assembly of Designed Amphiphilic Peptides and Silica Biomineralization

Peptides, the fundamental building units of biological systems, are chiral in molecular scale as well as in spatial conformation. Shells are exquisite examples of well‐defined chiral structures produced by natural biomineralization. However, the fundamental mechanism of chirality expressed in biological organisms remains unclear. Here, we present a system that mimics natural biomineralization and produces enantiopure chiral inorganic materials with controllable helicity. By tuning the hydrophilicity of the amphiphilic peptides, the chiral morphologies and mesostructures can be changed. With decreasing hydrophilicity of the amphiphilic peptides, we observed that the nanostructures changed from twisted nanofibers with a hexagonal mesostructure to twisted nanoribbons with a lamellar mesostructure, and the extent of the helicity decreased. Defining the mechanism of chiral inorganic materials formed from peptides by noncovalent interactions can improve strategies toward the bottom‐up synthesis of nanomaterials as well as in the field of bioengineering.     

The Chemistry of Form

The emergence of complex form in living and nonliving systems remains a deep question for scientists attempting to understand the origins and development of shape and structure. In recent years, biologists and physicists have made significant advances in explaining fundamental problems in fields such as morphogenesis and pattern formation. Chemists, on the other hand, are only just beginning to contemplate the possibility of preparing manmade materials with lifelike form. This review traces a route to the direct synthesis of inorganic structures with biomimetic form, beginning from an understanding of crystal morphology and biomineralization. The equilibrium form of crystals can be modified by surface-active additives but only within limits dictated by the symmetry of the unit cell. In contrast, biological minerals, such as shells, bones, and teeth, are distinguished by a complexity of form that bears little resemblance to the underlying order of their inorganic crystals. By understanding the constructional processes that give rise to the inorganic structures of life it should be possible to develop a chemistry of form in the laboratory. For example, complex small-scale inorganic architectures are produced at room temperature by undertaking precipitation reactions in self-assembled organic media, such as surfactant micelles, block copolymer aggregates and microemulsion droplets. Unusual inorganic forms emerge when these reaction fields are subjected to instability thresholds and synthesis and self-assembly can be coupled to produce materials with higher-order organization. Like their biological counterparts, these hard inorganic structures represent new forms of organized matter which originate from soft chemistry.     

TiO2 synthesis inspired by biomineralization: control of morphology, crystal phase, and light-use efficiency in a single process

Hydroxyapatite is mineralized along the long axis of collagen fiber during osteogenesis. Mimicking such biomineralization has great potential to control inorganic structures and is fast becoming an important next-generation inorganic synthesis method. Inorganic matter synthesized by biomineralization can have beautiful and functional structures that cannot be created artificially. In this study, we applied biomineralization to the synthesis of the only photocatalyst in practical use today, titanium dioxide (TiO(2)). The photocatalytic activity of TiO(2) mainly relates to three properties: morphology, crystal phase, and light-use efficiency. To optimize TiO(2) morphology, we used a simple sequential peptide as an organic template. TiO(2) mineralized by a β-sheet peptide nanofiber template forms fiber-like shapes that are not observed for mineralization by peptides in the shape of random coils. To optimize TiO(2) crystal phase, we mineralized TiO(2) with the template at 400 °C to transform it into the rutile phase and at 700 °C to transform it into a mixed phase of anatase and rutile. To optimize light-use efficiency, we introduced nitrogen atoms of the peptide into the TiO(2) structure as doped elemental material during sintering. Thus, this biomineralization method enables control of inorganic morphology, crystal phase, and light-use efficiency in a single process.     

From molecular level to macroscopic properties: A solid-state NMR biomineralization and biomimetic exploration

Through biomineralization, calcareous composites are produced with exceptional properties, evolution-optimized for specific function. The bioinspired quest to understand how properties are controlled and enhanced is motivated by their fundamental and technological significance. The incorporation of small molecules and/or biopolymers as inter- and intra-crystalline additives in the CaCO₃ matrix, is widely employed by organisms to achieve diverse functions. The interactions between the components during the early events within the precipitation medium, and when entrapped through precipitation-crystallization, are key players of process–property regulation. In addition to identifying the bulk matrices and the incorporated molecules, we show how solid-state NMR methods are tailored to directly report the chemical-structural details of the inorganic interface that surrounds an occlusion. Solid-state NMR is uniquely suited for that and is applicable to stable or spontaneously transforming lattices, crystalline or amorphous. Our findings are grouped to highlight the connection between the molecular level and tunability of macroscopic properties.     

无机纳米粒子的生物合成

无机纳米粒子的生物合成是指利用自然界中细菌、放线菌和真菌等微生物或一些高等植物在常温、常压下合成无机纳米粒子,不需使用有毒化学原料或不产生有毒副产品。该方法不仅是一种绿色的、环境友好的新型纳米材料合成策略,而且对深入了解生物矿化机理以及从理论上指导先进功能材料的设计和合成具有重要意义,因此近年来受到了化学、材料、生物科学等领域研究者的广泛关注。本文根据纳米粒子组成,分别综述了国内外利用生物体合成金属、硫化物和氧化物等无机纳米粒子的研究进展,重点讨论了生物合成的机理。结果表明:生物合成的无机纳米粒子具有尺寸分布窄、稳定性高、生物相容性好、产率高和成本低等优点; 为了适应高金属离子浓度的外界环境,生物体往往通过吸附、还原或沉淀、累积或排出等一系列生化过程改变金属离子的溶解性和毒性,从而导致无机纳米粒子的形成; 合成无机纳米粒子后,微生物通常仍具有繁殖能力,表明这些微生物可以被用于生产无机纳米粒子的生物工厂。然而,生物合成无机纳米粒子涉及到的生理过程非常复杂,微生物种类繁多,不同种类之间的差异也非常大。因此,在阐释生物合成机理、拓展纳米材料的种类和形貌、纳米粒子的后处理和应用等问题上仍需进一步深入研究。     

On the Synthesis of the FeMo Cofactor of Nitrogenase: Gene-Controlled in Nature versus Laboratory-Produced by Man

One of the primary challenges of chemistry is the controlled synthesis of compounds with tailor-made structures and properties. Natural products serve as inspiration in this quest, ranging from biocatalysts with optimal selectivity and activity to “inorganic materials” with exceptional properties, whose generation can be described by the term biomineralization. It is of fundamental importance to comprehend the courses of events at the interface between gene expression and the subsequent processes of epigenesis that are no longer under gene control. Chemistry has been able to achieve many goals; however, in the area of controlled syntheses of highly complex, tailor-made metal clusters, there is a lack of fundamental theories and principles. This is especially true for the fascinating metal–sulfur cluster of nitrogenase, which, in this enzyme, functions as the active center for the N₂ reduction and, so far, has eluded all attempts to be synthesized in the laboratory. To understand the biosynthesis of this cluster, information from genetics and chemistry must be combined.     

单分子膜诱导生物矿物晶体生长中的晶格匹配和电荷匹配

有机基质与无机晶体的晶格几何匹配和静电相互作用是导致生物体内矿物有序生长并具有特殊理化性质的重要因素,但有机基质的作用机理至今没有完全弄清.作为模拟生物矿化的重要模板之一,Langmuir单分子膜具有独特的优势.本文综述了单分子膜诱导下生物矿物碳酸钙(文石、方解石和球霰石)、羟磷灰石、硫酸钡和纤铁矿等生长过程中的晶格匹配和电荷匹配,讨论了单分子膜亲水头基、膜的电荷性质、膜聚集态等因素对膜控晶体生长过程中晶格匹配和电荷匹配的影响,指出了该领域所面临的问题和将来的发展方向.     

Organic templates for the generation of inorganic materials

Mankind's fascination with shapes and patterns, many examples of which come from nature, has greatly influenced areas such as art and architecture. Science too has long since been interested in the origin of shapes and structures found in nature. Whereas organic chemistry in general, and supramolecular chemistry especially, has been very successful in creating large superstructures of often stunning morphology, inorganic chemistry has lagged behind. Over the last decade, however, researchers in various fields of chemistry have been studying novel methods through which the shape of inorganic materials can be controlled at the micro- or even nanoscopic level. A method that has proven very successful is the formation of inorganic structures under the influence of (bio)organic templates, which has resulted in the generation of a large variety of structured inorganic structures that are currently unattainable through any other method.     

Expected and unexpected effects of amino acid substitutions on polypeptide-directed crystal growth

Nature's use of biomineralization polypeptides to control and modulate the growth of biogenic minerals is an important process that, if properly understood, could have significant implications for designing and creating new inorganic-based materials. Although the sequences for a number of biomineralization proteins exist, very little is known about the participation of specific amino acids in the mineral modulation process. In this letter, we investigate the impact of global Asp --> Asn and Glu --> Gln substitutions on two mollusk shell nacre polypeptides, AP7N and n16N. We find that these global substitutions, which remove all anionic Ca(II) binding sites, abolish the expected in vitro mineralization activities associated with each native polypeptide. In addition, the ability of substituted peptides to form complexes with both Ca(II) and Ca(II) metal ion analogs is also abolished. However, some unexpected effects were noted. First, the Asp --> Asn, Glu --> Gln substituted n16N polypeptide is observed to self-assemble and form biofilms or coatings that appear to mineralize in vitro. Second, both polypeptides are structurally affected by these substitutions, with Asp --> Asn substituted AP7N transforming to an alpha helix and Asp --> Asn, Glu --> Gln substituted n16N transforming to a more unfolded random-coil-like structure. We find that the participation of Asp and Glu residues is crucial to the inherent mineralization activities and conformations of AP7N and n16N polypeptides. Surprisingly, we find that the replacement of anionic residues within biomineralization polypeptides such as n16N still permits mineral modulation, but in a different form that now involves peptide self-association and biofilm formation.     

Self-assembled template-directed synthesis of one-dimensional silica and titania nanostructures

Mineralized biological materials such as shells, skeleton, and teeth experience biomineralization. Biomimetic materials exploit the biomineralization process to form functional organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures. In this work, we mimicked the biomineralization process by the de novo design of an amyloid-like peptide that self-assembles into nanofibers. Chemically active groups enhancing the affinity for metal ions were used to accumulate silicon and titanium precursors on the organic template. The self-assembly process and template effect were characterized by CD, FT-IR, UV-vis, fluorescence, rheology, TGA, SEM, and TEM. The self-assembled organic nanostructures were exploited as a template to form high-aspect-ratio 1-D silica and titania nanostructures by the addition of appropriate precursors. Herein, a new bottom-up approach was demonstrated to form silica and titania nanostructures that can yield wide opportunities to produce high-aspect-ratio inorganic nanostructures with high surface areas. The materials developed in this work have vast potential in the fields of catalysis and electronic materials.     

原子力显微镜法研究方解石(104)面的生长及溶解

研究生物矿化过程及生物矿物的形成机制具有重要的科学意义,这方面的研究不仅有助于我们认识自然,而且还可以指导体外仿生合成具有分级结构的功能性复合材料.原子力显微镜(atomic force microscope,AFM)是微米、纳米尺度上实时观测矿物成核或生长的强有力工具.本文综述了原子力显微镜法研究方解石(104)面生...     

Gelatine thin films as biomimetic surfaces for silica particles formation

The formation of silica nanostructures by several living organisms, such as diatoms or sponges, involves specific macromolecules that control the growth and the organization of silica nanoparticles. In order to investigate if a single molecular system could perform both particle size control and morphological template, gelatine thin films of various concentration and strength were prepared as biomimetic models and their reactivity towards sodium silicate aqueous solutions was studied. Simultaneous formation of silica particles in the nanometric and micrometric size range was observed. The former corresponds to colloids grown at the surface of the gelatine films and the latter to particles induced by gelatine chain brushes formed at the film/water interface. These results are in good agreement with well-known principles of biomineralization and suggest that multi-molecular systems, rather than single components, are responsible for biogenic silica nanostructure formation.