Template Mineralization of Ordered Macroporous Chitin−Silica Composites Using a Cuttlebone-Derived Organic Matrix

Abstract

Cuttlebone is a highly organized calcium carbonate biomineral with an elaborate macroporous architecture consisting of mineralized sheets and supporting wall structures that are constructed on a β-chitin matrix (figure). Removal of the calcium carbonate by demineralization results in an intact polysaccharide matrix that has been remineralized in the presence of alkaline silicate solutions to produce ordered macroporous β-chitin−silica replicas of the cuttlebone architecture. By control of the supersaturation and extent of deacetylation of the organic matrix, high-fidelity biomimetic facsimiles of the 3-D interconnected organic framework can be obtained by facile processing at room temperature.