Glass sponges inspire: Hybrid material made of collagen fibers and silica as possible substrate for bone tissue culture
Monday, November 14, 2011 - 09:30
in Paleontology & Archaeology
(PhysOrg.com) -- As well as organic structures, mineral structures also play an important role in living organisms. You dont even have to go as far as seashells or the artful silica scaffolds of diatoms; a glimpse into your own body will do. Our bones and teeth are made of the mineral hydroxyapatite. Scientists try to imitate the processes of biomineralization in order to better repair such things as bones and teeth. A team led by Franklin R. Tay at the Georgia Health Sciences University (USA) and Ji-hua Chen at the Fourth Military Medical University (China) has now introduced a new approach in the journal Angewandte Chemie: the biomineralization of a collagen/silica hybrid material.