Letter abstract
Nature Materials 6, 434 - 439 (2007)
Published online: 21 May 2007 | doi:10.1038/nmat1912
Subject Categories: Biological materials | Nanoscale materials
Hierarchical architectures by synergy between dynamical template self-assembly and biomineralization
Emilie Pouget1, Erik Dujardin2, Annie Cavalier3, Alain Moreac1, Céline Valéry4, Valérie Marchi-Artzner5, Thomas Weiss6, Anne Renault1, Maité Paternostre7 & Franck Artzner1
Diatoms, shells, bones and teeth are exquisite examples of well-defined structures, arranged from nanometre to macroscopic length scale, produced by natural biomineralization using organic templates to control the growth of the inorganic phase1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Although strategies mimicking Nature have partially succeeded in synthesizing human-designed bio-inorganic composite materials7, 8, 9, 10, our limited understanding of fundamental mechanisms has so far kept the level of hierarchical complexity found in biological organisms out of the chemists' reach11. In this letter, we report on the synthesis of unprecedented double-walled silica nanotubes with monodisperse diameters that self-organize into highly ordered centimetre-sized fibres. A unique synergistic growth mechanism is elucidated by the combination of light and electron microscopy, synchrotron X-ray diffuse scattering and Raman spectroscopy. Following this growth mechanism, macroscopic bundles of nanotubules result from the kinetic cross-coupling of two molecular processes: a dynamical supramolecular self-assembly and a stabilizing silica mineralization. The feedback actions between the template growth and the inorganic deposition are driven by a mutual electrostatic neutralization. This 'dynamical template' concept can be further generalized as a rational preparation scheme for materials with well-defined multiscale architectures and also as a fundamental mechanism for growth processes in biological systems.
- Groupe Matière Condensée et Matériaux, UMR 6626 CNRS et Université Rennes 1, 263 Avenue du général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France
- NanoSciences Group, CEMES UPR 8011 CNRS, BP 94347, 29 r. J. Marvig, 31055 Toulouse Cedex 4, France
- Interactions Cellulaires et Moléculaires, UMR 6026 CNRS et Université Rennes 1, 263 Avenue du général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France
- Ipsen Pharma S.A., Ctra. Laurea Miro 395, 08980-Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, UMR 6226 CNRS et Université Rennes 1, 263 Avenue du général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France
- ESRF, 6 rue Jules Horowitz, BP220, 38043 Grenoble Cedex, France
- URA 2096, IBiTechS, CEA-Saclay, F-91191 Gif/Yvette, France
Correspondence to: Franck Artzner1 e-mail: franck.artzner@univ-rennes1.fr
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