The Chemistry of Form

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemistry
• Biophysics

Background:

• Complex form in biological and non-biological systems is a fundamental scientific question.
• Advances in morphogenesis and pattern formation have been made in biology and physics.
• Chemistry is beginning to explore the synthesis of manmade materials with lifelike forms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the direct synthesis of inorganic structures with biomimetic form.
• To connect crystal morphology and biomineralization to synthetic chemistry.
• To establish a chemistry of form for laboratory synthesis of complex inorganic architectures.

Main Methods:

• Understanding crystal morphology and biomineralization processes.
• Investigating the modification of crystal equilibrium forms using surface-active additives.
• Utilizing self-assembled organic media (micelles, block copolymers, microemulsions) for inorganic precipitation reactions.
• Coupling synthesis and self-assembly under instability thresholds.

Main Results:

• Biological minerals exhibit complex forms unlike their underlying crystal structures.
• Complex small-scale inorganic architectures can be synthesized at room temperature in self-assembled organic media.
• Instability thresholds in reaction fields lead to unusual inorganic forms.
• Coupling synthesis and self-assembly yields materials with higher-order organization.

Conclusions:

• Mimicking biological construction processes can enable the development of a chemistry of form.
• Soft chemistry approaches, using self-assembled media, can produce hard inorganic structures with biomimetic complexity.
• These synthetic inorganic structures represent new forms of organized matter originating from soft chemical processes.