Poriferan Chitin as a Versatile Template for Extreme Biomimetics

In this mini-review, we shall first cover a short history of the discovery of chitin isolated from sponges; as well as its evolutionarily ancient roots. Next, we will delve into the unique structural, mechanical, and thermal properties of this naturally occurring polymer to illuminate how its physic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPolymers Vol. 7; no. 2; pp. 235 - 265
Main Authors Wysokowski, Marcin, Petrenko, Iaroslav, Stelling, Allison L, Stawski, Dawid, Jesionowski, Teofil, Ehrlich, Hermann
Format Journal Article Book Review
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 09.02.2015
Subjects
Biomedical materials
Biomimetics
Chitin
Filtration
Polymers
Sponges
Surgical implants
Thermal properties
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Summary:In this mini-review, we shall first cover a short history of the discovery of chitin isolated from sponges; as well as its evolutionarily ancient roots. Next, we will delve into the unique structural, mechanical, and thermal properties of this naturally occurring polymer to illuminate how its physicochemical properties may find uses in diverse areas of the material sciences. We show how the unique properties and morphology of sponge chitin renders it quite useful for the new route of "Extreme Biomimetics"; where high temperatures and pressures allow a range of interesting bioinorganic composite materials to be made. These new biomaterials have electrical, chemical, and material properties that have applications in water filtration, medicine, catalysis, and biosensing.
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ISSN:2073-4360
2073-4360
DOI:10.3390/polym7020235