Materials synthesis based on biological processes

Abstract

This book reports on research into the adaptation or the mimicking of biological processes in the synthesis of materials. Topics include: the development of a thorough understanding of how the living organism accomplishes its materials synthesis, the isolation and nurturing of the appropriate portion of the organism or its non-biological analog, the modification of the process, the establishment of the environment under which that process can be used, and finally, the study of the structure/function relationships of the materials that have been synthesized so that their desired properties can be enhanced.