Poriferan Chitin as a Versatile Template for Extreme Biomimetics

Polymers

Marcin Wysokowski³  Iaroslav Petrenko⁴  Allison L. Stelling¹  Dawid Stawski²  Teofil Jesionowski³  Hermann Ehrlich⁴ 

[1] Center for Material Genomics, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, 27708 Durham, NC, USA; E-Mail:;Department of Commodity and Material Sciences and Textile Metrology, Lodz University of Technology, Żeromskiego 116, 90924 Lódź, Poland; E-Mail:;Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Poznań University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, 60965 Poznań, Poland; E-Mail:;Institute of Experimental Physics, Technische Universitӓt Bergakademie Freiberg, Leipziger str. 23; 09596 Freiberg, Germany; E-Mails:

关键词: chitin;    sponges;    extreme biomimetics;    hydrothermal synthesis;    scaffolds;   

DOI  :  10.3390/polym7020235

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

In this mini-review, we shall first cover a short history of the discovery of chitin isolated from sponges; as well as its evolutionarily ancient roots. Next, we will delve into the unique structural, mechanical, and thermal properties of this naturally occurring polymer to illuminate how its physicochemical properties may find uses in diverse areas of the material sciences. We show how the unique properties and morphology of sponge chitin renders it quite useful for the new route of “Extreme Biomimetics”; where high temperatures and pressures allow a range of interesting bioinorganic composite materials to be made. These new biomaterials have electrical, chemical, and material properties that have applications in water filtration, medicine, catalysis, and biosensing.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.