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Mesostructure from hydration gradients in demosponge biosilica.

James R Neilson1, Nathan C George, Meredith M Murr

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, 1872 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins CO 80523-1872; Biomolecular Science & Engineering and the Institute for Collaborative Biotechnology, University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5100; Materials Research Laboratory, University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93106. james.neilson@colostate.edu.

Chemistry (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|March 18, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Sponge spicules, made of silica, possess unique structures due to inhomogeneous hydration. This mesostructure allows for defect tolerance and strain relief, explaining their remarkable mechanical properties.

Keywords:
NMR spectroscopybiomineralizationpair distribution functionsilicaspicules

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Area of Science:

  • Biomaterials Science
  • Biomineralization
  • Materials Chemistry

Background:

  • Sponges (phylum Porifera) create silica spicules via enzymatic hydrolysis.
  • These spicules resemble fused silica in transparency and possess strength and flexibility.
  • Previous research identified spicule formation mechanisms and hydration but lacked detailed structural analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the precise composition and local/medium-range structures of sponge-derived silica spicules.
  • To investigate the relationship between hydration, structure, and mechanical properties.
  • To understand the biogenic silica formation process in sponges.

Main Methods:

  • Compositional analysis
  • (1)H and (29)Si solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy
  • Synchrotron X-ray total scattering

Main Results:

  • Sponge spicules are highly and inhomogeneously hydrated.
  • Silica networks exhibit both fully condensed, unstrained regions and areas with defects and strain.
  • Hydration is concentrated in specific regions, forming mesostructural features.

Conclusions:

  • Sponge silica formation resembles controlled sol-gel processing.
  • The coexistence of condensed and incompletely condensed silica regions contributes to defect tolerance and strain relief.
  • This unique mesostructure underlies the exceptional mechanical properties of biogenic spicules.