Extreme Biomineralization and Extreme Biomimetics

Dear Colleagues,

The uncontroversial superiority of biological materials both as sources and as models for the creation of a new generation of composite materials has been well acknowledged by the modern research community due to their pre-existence in nature and evolutionary approved chemical compositions, including that originating from extreme environments. The origins of extreme biomineralization are found in the first ancestral unicellular organisms that evolved under the harsh environmental conditions of ancient oceans. Both biologically induced and controlled mineralization promoted the development of protective structures to shield cells from thermal, chemical, and ultraviolet stresses. Such conditions have also allowed the adaptation of unique extremophilic and polyextremophilic biomineralizers, which are still found today. Psychrophilic, thermophilic, anaerobic, alkaliphilic, acidophilic, and halophilic conditions, as well as forced biomineralization arising in environments with very high or toxic metal ion concentrations are special locations for development of unique and poorly investigated structures.

Extreme biomimetics is based on the utilization of specific thermostable biopolymers, found in hydrothermal deposits, in a broad variety of hydrothermal reactions for the in vitro preparation of new inorganic–organic materials. It is not surprising that the skeletal structures of extremophiles are examples of biocomposites where biopolymers with high resistance to chemically harsh and thermally extreme conditions are the main players as specialized templates. The goal is to design a bridge between extreme biomimetics and bioinspired materials science, where the basic principle is to exploit chemically and thermally stable, renewable biopolymers for the development of the next generation of biologically inspired composite materials never reported, or even suggested before with sizes and properties which will allow their application in the extremes of modern, industry including large scale level. When it comes to the raw materials used in extreme biomimetics, there is absolutely no conflict with the global green processes strategy, where one of the principles advocates the use of renewable raw materials instead of a variety of plastic materials, and at that point to waste away the waste materials. Especially such renewable structural biopolymers as cellulose, chitin, and structural proteins (spongin, silk, keratin) can be used as thermostable biopolymeric scaffolds with 3D architecture for the nucleation and growth of a wide range of novel nanoorganized inorganic-based composites.

Prof. Dr. Hermann Ehrlich
Guest Editor

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• hydrothermal synthesis
• composites
• thermostable biopolymers
• hyperdense biominerals
• extremophyles
• forced biomineralization
• carbonized biomaterials