Hybrid macroscopic fibers from the synergistic assembly between silica and filamentous viruses

Synthesis of textured polysaccharide–silica nanocomposites: a comparison between cellulose and chitin nanorod precursors

Through a straightforward sol–gel procedure, two polysaccharide (cellulose and chitin) nanorods can be used to elaborate textured hybrid nanocomposites and mesoporous silica-based materials whose textural properties are defined by the nanorod dimensions and concentrations.

Filamentous supramolecular structures with polyelectrolyte and cadmium sulfide

In this study, a new type of filamentous structures consisting of a generation 9 poly(amido amine) dendrimer (G9) and CdS is reported. The linearity of the interconnected dendrimers is a result of the electrostatic repulsion between the multiply charged dendrimer macroions. Structures have been investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The internal structure of the CdS-fibers reveals information on the mechanism of the fiber formation. In contrast to previous systems with smaller generation poly(propylene imine)-dendrimers, Cd(2+) is here found to be responsible for the interconnection of G9. Furthermore, more complex supramolecular structures were built by associating the CdS-dendrimer hybrid fibers with different ionic dyes, displaying the versatility of this system for future nanotechnology applications such as optoelectronics or energy conversion.

Learning from nature - novel synthetic biology approaches for biomaterial design

Many biomaterials constructed today are complex chemical structures that incorporate biologically active components derived from nature, but the field can still be said to be in its infancy. The need for materials that bring sophisticated properties of structure, dynamics and function to medical and non-medical applications will only grow. Increasing appreciation of the functionality of biological systems has caused biomaterials researchers to consider nature for design inspiration, and many examples exist of the use of biomolecular motifs. Yet evolution, nature's only engine for the creation of new designs, has been largely ignored by the biomaterials community. Molecular evolution is an emerging tool that enables one to apply nature's engineering principles to non-natural situations using variation and selection. The purpose of this review is to highlight the most recent advances in the use of molecular evolution in synthetic biology applications for biomaterial engineering, and to discuss some of the areas in which this approach may be successfully applied in the future.

Dispersions of monodisperse hybrid rod-like particles by mineralization of filamentous viruses

In this work, we report on the synthesis through a direct chemical approach of hybrid organic/inorganic rod-like particles with a very high aspect ratio (length/diameter) by the use of a biotemplate, the fd virus. A synthetic route is proposed based on an initial step of steric stabilization of the colloidal template by hydrophilic polymer grafting. Thanks to this polymer functionalization, the filamentous viruses are well-dispersed in solution during their mineralization by different inorganic salts, leading to suspensions of individual hybrid rod-like particles such as virus/SiO2 and virus/TiO2. This aqueous solution based approach is shown to be highly reproducible, scalable for large production synthesis, and versatile to different inorganic materials.