Biomineralization

This first comprehensive overview of the modern aspects of biomineralization represents life and materials science at its best: Bioinspired pathways are the hot topics in many disciplines and this holds especially true for biomineralization.

This book is the proceedings of the 14th International Symposium on Biomineralization (BIOMIN XIV) held in 2017 at Tsukuba. Over the past 45 years, biomineralization research has unveiled details of the characteristics of the nano-structure of various biominerals; the formation mechanism of this nano-structure, including the initial stage of crystallization; and the function of organic matrices in biominerals, and this knowledge has been applied to dental, medical, pharmaceutical, materials, agricultural and environmental sciences and paleontology. As such, biomineralization is an important interdisciplinary research area, and further advances are expected in both fundamental and applied research.

This book is a compendium of current topics focusing on processes of formation, organization, as well as mineralization of novel structural materials. From enchondral ossification to the application of biomineralized cement, the subject of biomineralization encompasses a range of diverse disciplines including molecular biology, supramolecular chemistry, materials science and engineering.

Authors: Engel, Jürgen

The concept of ‘biomineralization’ signifies mineralization processes that take place in close association with organic molecules or matrices. The awareness that mineral formation can be guided by organic molecules notably contributed to the understanding of the formation of the inorganic skeletons of living organisms. Modern electron microscopic and spectroscopic analyses have successfully demonstrated the participation of biological systems in several mineralization processes, and prominent examples include the formation of bio-silica in diatoms and sponges. This insight has already made the application of recombinant technology for the production of valuable inorganic polymers, such as bio-silica, possible. This polymer can be formed by silicatein under conditions that cannot be matched by chemical means. Similarly, the efforts described in this book have elucidated that certain organisms, bacteria in deep-sea polymetallic nodules and coccoliths in seamount crusts, are involved in the deposition of marine minerals.