Determining Fundamental Mechanisms of Bio-Silicification for Advanced Materials

The Army requires new approaches for development of materials that lead to transformative capabilities in structural and electronic applications. The overarching goal of this ICB basic research project is to repurpose the silicification pathways of diatoms to engineer materials with novel properties. Surprisingly little is known about how biosilica-forming organisms concentrate, store, and process silica or the genetic machinery that regulates silica production and rearrangement. Incorporating biological functionalities into non-living materials will enabling a new class of biomimetic polymers and living materials with novel architectures, patterns, compositions, and length scales that will be useful for structural, bio- or opto-electronic applications relevant to the Army.