Biomorph growth in single-phase systems: expanding the structure spectrum and pH range

Nakouzi, Elias; Knoll, Pamela; Steinbock, Oliver

doi:10.1039/c5cc09295g

Cited by 21 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Notice that these large funnels often open up sufficiently fast to continue growth in a virtual plane, at which point they essentially correspond to surprisingly flat, substrate‐free sheets. The average nanorod orientation for these structures is in the growth direction and hence tangential to the funnels or urns …”

Section: Biomorph Zoomentioning

confidence: 63%

“…Moreover, Nakouzi et al. varied the pH of single‐phase systems and established additional control over the resulting morphologies with high pH values favoring free‐formed sheets (including funnels and urns) and lower pH environments favoring single and double helices . Variation of the carbonate ion concentration were also studied using a microfluidic device containing two channels filled with advecting carbonate‐free barium chloride/sodium metasilicate alkaline solution and sodium bicarbonate, respectively.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is unclear whether these large funnels and urns are qualitatively different from the much smaller vase-like structures observed by Noorduin et al Moreover, Nakouzi et al varied the pH of single-phase systems and established additional control over the resulting morphologies with high pH values favoring free-formed sheets (including funnels and urns) and lower pH environments favoring single and double helices. [18] Variation of the carbonate ion concentration were also studied using a microfluidic device containing two channels filled with advecting carbonate-free barium chloride/ sodium metasilicate alkaline solution and sodium bicarbonate, respectively. The diffusion of CO 2 through a channel-separating, thin polydimethylsiloxane membrane causes periodic zones of biomorph structures that were compared to Liesegang bands.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, sheets can form away from interfaces in the bulk of solution‐gel and single phase systems. These structures typically bend generating S‐ and C‐shaped surfaces (Figure b) …”

Section: Biomorph Zoomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The average nanorod orientation for these structures is in the growth direction and hence tangential to the funnels or urns. [18]…”

Section: Funnels and Urnsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Inorganic Reactions Self‐organize Life‐like Microstructures Far from Equilibrium

Knoll

Steinbock

2018

Israel Journal of Chemistry

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A fundamental problem in chemistry is the nontrivial extension of molecular complexity to macroscopic length scales. The exploration of such concepts offers profound insights into the hierarchical organization of living matter and promises a novel engineering paradigm under which materials and devices are grown biomimetically far from the thermodynamic equilibrium. Inorganic microstructures called biomorphs are an ideal model system to develop such approaches. They are polycrystalline nanorod assemblies that form in basic solution from alkaline‐earth metal ions, silicate, and carbonate. Biomorphs range in size from tens of micrometers to millimeters and form over several hours under simple experimental settings. Their noneuhedral, life‐like shapes include surprising leafs, helices, funnels, urns, and coral‐shaped motifs. Here we review the current understanding of biomorphs, highlight links to nonlinear chemical dynamics, and discuss applications in materials science and astrobiology.

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Section: Biomorph Zoomentioning

confidence: 63%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Biomorph Zoomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The average nanorod orientation for these structures is in the growth direction and hence tangential to the funnels or urns. [18]…”

Section: Funnels and Urnsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Inorganic Reactions Self‐organize Life‐like Microstructures Far from Equilibrium

Knoll

Steinbock

2018

Israel Journal of Chemistry

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Under Diffusion Control: from Structuring Matter to Directional Motion

Cera

Schalley

2018

Advanced Materials

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Self-organization in synthetic chemical systems is quickly developing into a powerful strategy for designing new functional materials. As self-organization requires the system to exist far from thermodynamic equilibrium, chemists have begun to go beyond the classical equilibrium self-assembly that is often applied in bottom-up supramolecular synthesis, and to learn about the surprising and unpredicted emergent properties of chemical systems that are characterized by a higher level of complexity and extended reactivity networks. The present review focuses on self-organization in reaction-diffusion systems. Selected examples show how the emergence of complex morphogenesis is feasible in synthetic systems leading to hierarchically and nanostructured matter. Starting from well-investigated oscillating reactions, recent developments extend diffusion-limited reactivity to supramolecular systems. The concept of dynamic instability is introduced and illustrated as an additional tool for the design of smart materials and actuators, with emphasis on the realization of motion even at the macroscopic scale. The formation of spatio-temporal patterns along diffusive chemical gradients is exploited as the main channel to realize symmetry breaking and therefore anisotropic and directional mechanical transformations. Finally, the interaction between external perturbations and chemical gradients is explored to give mechanistic insights in the design of materials responsive to external stimuli.

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Local Light‐Controlled Generation of Calcium Carbonate and Barium Carbonate Biomorphs via Photochemical Stimulation

Menichetti

Mavridi-Printezi

Falini

et al. 2021

Chemistry A European J

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Photochemical activation is proposed as a general method for controlling the crystallization of sparingly soluble carbonates in space and time. The photogeneration of carbonate in an alkaline environment is achieved upon photo-decarboxylation of an organic precursor by using a conventional 365 nm UV LED. Local irradiation was conducted focusing the LED light on a 300 μm radius spot on a closed glass crystallization cell. The precursor solution was optimized to avoid the precipitation of the photoreaction organic byproducts and prevent photo-induced pH changes to achieve the formation of calcium carbonate only in the corresponding irradiated area. The crystallization was monitored in real-time by time-lapse imaging. The method is also shown to work in gels. Similarly, it was also shown to photo-activate locally the formation of barium carbonate biomorphs. In the last case, the morphology of these biomimetic structures was tuned by changing the irradiation intensity.

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Biomorph growth in single-phase systems: expanding the structure spectrum and pH range

Cited by 21 publications

References 31 publications

Inorganic Reactions Self‐organize Life‐like Microstructures Far from Equilibrium

Inorganic Reactions Self‐organize Life‐like Microstructures Far from Equilibrium

Under Diffusion Control: from Structuring Matter to Directional Motion

Local Light‐Controlled Generation of Calcium Carbonate and Barium Carbonate Biomorphs via Photochemical Stimulation

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