Biomimetic Pathways for Assembling Inorganic Thin Films

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 273; no. 5277; pp. 892 - 898
• Main Authors: Aksay, I. A., Trau, M., Manne, S., Honma, I., Yao, N., Zhou, L., Fenter, P., Eisenberger, P. M., Gruner, S. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for the Advancement of Science 16.08.1996; American Association for the Advancement of Science; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Biomimetics; Biomineralization; Chemical synthesis; Energy; Inorganic compounds; Materials science; Multilayered thin films; News; Organic chemistry; Synthesis; Thin films, Multilayered
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.273.5277.892

Living organisms construct various forms of laminated nanocomposites through directed nucleation and growth of inorganics at self-assembled organic templates at temperatures below 100°C and in aqueous solutions. Recent research has focused on the use of functionalized organic surfaces to form continuous thin films of single-phase ceramics. Continuous thin films of mesostructured silicates have also been formed on hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces through a two-step mechanism. First, under acidic conditions, surfactant micellar structures are self-assembled at the solid/liquid interface, and second, inorganic precursors condense to form an inorganic-organic nanocomposite. Epitaxial coordination of adsorbed surfactant tubules is observed on mica and graphite substrates, whereas a random arrangement is observed on amorphous silica. The ability to process ceramic-organic nanocomposite films by these methods provides new technological opportunities.