Polymer-Rich Dense Phase Can Concentrate Metastable Silica Precursors and Regulate Their Mineralization.

ABSTRACT: Multistep mineralization processes are pivotal in the fabrication of functional materials and are often characterized by far from equilibrium conditions and high supersaturation. Interestingly, such 'nonclassical' mineralization pathways are widespread in biological systems, even though concentrating molecules well beyond their saturation level is incompatible with cellular homeostasis. Here, we show how polymer phase separation can facilitate bioinspired silica formation by passively concentrating the inorganic building blocks within the polymer dense phase. The high affinity of the dense phase to mobile silica precursors generates a diffusive flux against the concentration gradient, similar to dynamic equilibrium, and the resulting high supersaturation leads to precipitation of insoluble

SUBMITTER: Zhai H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9930081 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature