Protein Self-Assembly States Modulate Lithium Carbonate Biomineralization: From Ion Chelation to Nucleation Sites.

ABSTRACT: Understanding protein-salt interactions is important for controlling crystallization, including biomineralization, biopharmaceutical purification, biocatalytic enzymes, and environmental biointerfaces. This study for the first time investigated interactions between three proteins (lysozyme, red fluorescence protein, and bovine hemoglobin) and Li₂CO₃ (formation from the reaction of LiCl with Na₂CO₃) under different protein and salt concentrations. For the crystallization of Li₂CO₃, at low supersaturation (S), the proteins inhibited Li₂CO₃ nucleation by 20-40% through chelation. At high S, the proteins accelerated nucleation by 10-40%. The dual effects of the protein on Li₂CO

SUBMITTER: Lin Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12801182 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature