Journal article

Model biomimetic studies of templated growth and assembly of nanocrystalline FeOOH

M Nesterova, J Moreau, JF Banfield

GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA | PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD | Published : 2003

Abstract

We studied biomimetic mineralization of self-assembling polymer matrices in order to develop a model for biomineralization of iron oxides in nature. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), rheology, and fluorescence probe analyses show self-assembly of acidic polysaccharide alginic acid (Alg) to form fibrils in dilute solutions. The resulting Alg fibrils are subsequently mineralized by FeOOH in a biomimetically controlled process. Experiments were conducted in pH 9.2 solutions containing millimolar concentrations of iron at 38°C. The unperturbed state of the hybrid mineral-organic structures was studied by characterization of samples of interfacial films collected from an i..

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