Principles of Biomimetic Mineralization and Creation of Composite Materials

A special issue of Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomimetics of Materials and Structures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 690

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biosilica, together with calcium- and iron- based biominerals, remains one of the most abundant biominerals on Earth. Nanostructural features surrounding the origin and broad diversity of biosilicates of plants, algae (diatoms), and invertebrates (sponges) have been investigated quite intensively over the last few decades, both because of our fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of biosilicification and the prospects for their biomimetic potential in modern bioinspired materials science. As such, this Special Issue on the biomaterialogy of biosilica will illustrate how the bioarchitecture and functions of highly sophisticated siliceous constructs occurring in nature have inspired new forms of artificial biomineralization and technology for both structural and functional biomimetics. This Special Issue aims to provide a thorough and comprehensive overview of diverse biosilica sources as nanostructured functional biomaterials from a multifaceted view of modern biomimetics.

Prof. Dr. Hermann Ehrlich
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • biosilica
  • bioarchitecture
  • structural biomimetics
  • biocomposites
  • diatoms
  • sponges
  • Hexactinellida
  • spicules
  • silicoflagellates

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 6347 KiB  
Article
Mineral Composition of Skeletal Elements in Dorid Nudibranchia Onchidoris muricata (Gastropoda, Mollusca)
by Dmitry A. Ozerov, Ekaterina D. Nikitenko, Alexey A. Piryazev, Andrey I. Lavrov and Elena V. Vortsepneva
Biomimetics 2025, 10(4), 211; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics10040211 - 29 Mar 2025
Viewed by 298
Abstract
Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), a standard technique in mineralogy and criminalistics, has not yet been fully incorporated into the study of various biomineral structures of invertebrates, despite the growing popularity of this topic in the last few decades. This is partly due to [...] Read more.
Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), a standard technique in mineralogy and criminalistics, has not yet been fully incorporated into the study of various biomineral structures of invertebrates, despite the growing popularity of this topic in the last few decades. This is partly due to EDX’s limitations and data interpretation complexities. This study used EDX to analyze the spicules’ elemental composition of nudibranch gastropod mollusk Onchidoris muricata prepared via two methods (sectioning and fracturing). Hierarchical clustering and compositional data analysis of the resulting elemental data revealed three distinct spicule populations with varying element ratios, suggesting spicule transformation pathways. Two of the three clusters had a uniform layered microstructure, yet they showed reliable differences in element ratios. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the spicules’ calcite or magnesian–calcite composition. EDX analysis of spicule sections, coupled with other analytical techniques, revealed mineral structure transformations and provided insights into the biomineral nature. The sample preparation method with epoxy-embedding, preserving surrounding tissues in their active state, allowed for the analysis of tissue elemental composition and the elucidation of their role in mineralization. Full article
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