Templating effect of silk fibers in the oriented deposition of aragonite

Controlled deposition of calcium carbonate crystals can be obtained on degummed Bombyx mori silk fibers through the use of a silk fibroin solution; aragonite crystallites are found on the surface of the fiber with consistent orientation along the longitudinal axis; the results indicate that the combination of the ordered surface structure on the silk fiber and the directing-effect of silk fibroin solution are the key factors in the orientative deposition process of the mineral.