Bio-inspired silicification, which is based on the mechanisms of naturally-occuring siliceous bodies, has recently attracted considerable attention, but the realization of topologically complex silica structures has not been achieved yet under physiologically favorable conditions. We designed catalytic peptides for in vitro silicification, based on the functional groups of silicatein-a that is the enzyme for the silica exterior of glass sponge, and used the self-assembled structures of the peptides as a catalytic template for the silicificaiton. The results would give us a better insight into the formation mechanism of biogenic silica and also could contribute to the development of anthropogenic strategies for non-biological inorganic materials.

Design of peptides for catalytic templates of bio-inspired silica mineralization

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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