Biomineralization I / Topics in Current Chemistry Bd.270 (PDF)

Fluorapatite-Gelatine-Nanocomposites: Self-OrganizedMorphogenesis, Real Structure and Relations to Natural Hard Materials (p. 74-75)

Abstract The biomimetic system fiuorapatite-gelatine (in aqueous solutions) is perfectly suited for the study of biomimetic steps closely related to steps in osteo- and dentinogenesis. Although representing a relatively low level of complexity, the biomimetic system still includes all aspects of complexity, such as metastability, self assembly, self-similarity, fractals, pattern-formation, hierarchy, and others. The present review is focused on the morphogenesis and real structure of fiuorapatite-gelatine-nanocomposites and is structured in a sequence from macroscopic/bulk-properties to mesoscopic and finally microscopic observations, in part also supported by atomistic simulations. The field encompasses a large variety of components reaching from basic science to applications. Keywords Applications · Atomistic simulations · Electrical dipole fields · Fluorapatite · Gelatine · Morphogenesis · Nanocomposites

1 Introduction

The biomimetic system fiuorapatite-gelatine bears strong resemblance to the biosystem hydroxyapatite (HAP)-collagen which plays a decisive role in the human body (vertebrates in general) as functional material in the form of bone [1, 2] and teeth [3, 4]. In the bio-systems, the hierarchical and self-similar organization of nanocomposite structures is of prominent relevance [5–8], with HAP-protein (collagen) nanocomposite structures dominated by a close orientational relationship between the triple-helical collagen molecules (arranged in the form of fibrils) and the HAP nanocrystals which .rst nucleate in the gaps between neighboring protein molecules. In these arrangements, the crystallographic c-axes of theHAP nanocrystals are oriented parallel to the longitudinal direction of the fibrils [9, 10].

As the development of bone and teeth proceeds during processes of high

From the reviews:

"The five chapters of Biomineralization, volume 1, provide a bridge between the mineralogy and the organic substrates that enable the mineral formation by organisms in nature and under laboratory conditions. … The book is a most useful reference for all concerned with biomineralization and biogenic minerals, and it also belongs on the shelves of earth science libraries." (Abraham Lerman, The Journal of Geology, March, 2008)