Von evolutionär uralten Schwammgenen zu biotechnologischen Materialien

Abstract

Conventional synthetic methodologies mostly bar access to the fabrication of innovative silica- or metal oxide-based materials with an expanded property spectrum. However, nature represents an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the synthesis of multifunctional materials with tailored attributes. Particularly the low-energy catalytic pathways of poriferan biosilicification, with the enzyme silicatein at their heart, have been inspiring recent biotechnological approaches.