Direct fabrication of large micropatterned single crystals

Preparation of organothiol self-assembled monolayers for use in templated crystallization

Organothiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) have garnered much interest as templates for oriented crystallization of biominerals. While, on the surface, SAM preparation appears to be straightforward, there are many subtleties that may yield films that lack the desired effect on the mineral component in subsequent use for templated mineralization. Herein, we discuss literature that uses organothiol SAMs to understand various principles in biomineralization, to motivate the following discussion of preparation procedures and pitfalls that may arise while working with SAMs. We provide a range of parameters for each element of a SAM-forming process, which have been shown in the literature to produce monolayers suitable for mineralization experiments, and close with a step-by-step procedure, based on findings in the cited literature, that yields functional SAMs with very high fidelity.

Peptide induced crystallization of calcium carbonate on wrinkle patterned substrate: implications for chitin formation in molluscs

We here present the nucleation and growth of calcium carbonate under the influence of synthetic peptides on topographically patterned poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) substrates, which have a controlled density of defects between the wrinkles. Experiments with two lysine-rich peptides derived from the extracellular conserved domain E22 of the mollusc chitin synthase Ar-CS1, AKKKKKAS (AS8) and EEKKKKKES (ES9) on these substrates showed their influence on the calcium carbonate morphology. A transition from polycrystalline composites to single crystalline phases was achieved with the peptide AS8 by changing the pH of the buffer solution. We analyzed three different pH values as previous experiments showed that E22 interacts with aragonite biominerals more strongly at pH 7.75 than at pH 9.0. At any given pH, crystals appeared in characteristic morphologies only on wrinkled substrates, and did not occur on the flat, wrinkle-free PDMS substrate. These results suggest that these wrinkled substrates could be useful for controlling the morphologies of other mineral/peptide and mineral/protein composites. In nature, these templates are formed enzymatically by glycosyltransferases containing pH-sensitive epitopes, similar to the peptides investigated here. Our in vitro test systems may be useful to gain understanding of the formation of distinct 3D morphologies in mollusc shells in response to local pH shifts during the mineralization of organic templates.

Microfluidic impact printer with interchangeable cartridges for versatile non-contact multiplexed micropatterning

Biopatterning has been increasingly used for well-defined cellular microenvironment, patterned surface topology, and guided biological cues; however, it meets challenges on biocompatibility, thermal and chemical sensitivity, as well as limited availability of reagents. In this paper, we aim at combining the desired features from non-contact inkjet printing and dot-matrix impact printing to establish a versatile multiplexed micropatterning platform, referred to as Microfluidic Impact Printer (MI-Printer), for emerging biomedical applications. Using this platform, we can achieve the distinct features of no cross-contamination, sub-microliter ink loading with a minimal dead volume, high-throughput printing, biocompatible non-contact processing, sequential patterning with self-alignment, wide adaptability for complex media (e.g., cell suspension or colloidal solutions), interchangeable/disposable cartridge design, and simple assembly and configuration, all highly desirable towards laboratory-based research and development. Specifically, the printing resolution of the MI-printer platform has been experimentally characterized and theoretically analysed. Optimal printing resolution of 80 μm has been repeatedly obtained. Furthermore, two useful functions of the MI-printer, multiplexed printing and combinatorial printing, have been experimentally demonstrated with less than 10 μm misalignment. Moreover, molecular and biological patterning, utilizing the multiplexed and combinatorial printing, has been implemented to illustrate the utility of this versatile printing technique for emerging biomedical applications.

Fabrication of microlens arrays by localized hydrolysis in water droplet microreactors

We report a facile self-assembly strategy for fabricating TiO2 microlens arrays by localized hydrolysis of TiCl4 precursor in water droplets. Microcontact printing was used to define hydrophilic areas on a substrate for space resolved hydrolytic reaction. The water droplets served as the templates, reactant, and microreactors. Highly ordered TiO2 microlens arrays could be produced, which exhibit excellent ability to focus light. Because both size and shape of the final TiO2 microlens can be controlled by the printed chemical pattern and the precursor concentration, it is possible to define TiO2 microlens arrays with different imaging properties. This new method shows attractive features of simplicity, low cost, and requires no heating process, hence is suitable for a range of applications.

Biomimetic synthesis of calcium carbonate bilayers interfaced by a diblock copolymer template

The synthesis of a new class of hybrid materials with two differently oriented layers of calcite at adjacent sides of an organic template is demonstrated. A Langmuir monolayer of the amphiphilic block copolymer poly(butyl acrylate)-b-poly(hydroxypropyl acrylate) directs the formation of a first CaCO3 phase through interaction with the hydrophilic poly(hydroxypropyl acrylate) blocks. After partial hydrolysis of the hydrophobic poly(butyl acrylate) segments a second CaCO3 phase is formed on the monolayer associated to the first mineral phase. Thus, bilayered CaCO3-based hybrid materials are obtained with two differently oriented calcite phases at opposite sides of the polymer film. By using DNA as an additive the crystal orientation in the second layer can be modified.

The role of nanoscale architecture in supramolecular templating of biomimetic hydroxyapatite mineralization

Understanding and mimicking the hierarchical structure of mineralized tissue is a challenge in the field of biomineralization and is important for the development of scaffolds to guide bone regeneration. Bone is a remarkable tissue with an organic matrix comprised of aligned collagen bundles embedded with nanometer-sized inorganic hydroxyapatite (HAP) crystals that exhibit orientation on the macroscale. Hybrid organic-inorganic structures mimic the composition of mineralized tissue for functional bone scaffolds, but the relationship between morphology of the organic matrix and orientation of mineral is poorly understood. Herein the mineralization of supramolecular peptide amphiphile templates, that are designed to vary in nanoscale morphology by altering the amino acid sequence, is reported. It is found that 1D cylindrical nanostructures direct the growth of oriented HAP crystals, while flatter nanostructures fail to guide the orientation found in biological systems. The geometric constraints associated with the morphology of the nanostructures may effectively control HAP nucleation and growth. Additionally, the mineralization of macroscopically aligned bundles of the nanoscale assemblies to create hierarchically ordered scaffolds is explored. Again, it is found that only aligned gel templates of cylindrical nanostructures lead to hierarchical control over hydroxyapatite orientation across multiple length scales as found in bone.

Order-disorder transition of aragonite nanoparticles in nacre

Understanding nacre's bottom-up biomineralization mechanism, particularly, how individual aragonite platelets are formed, has long remained elusive due to its crystallographic peculiarity and structural complexity. Here we report that crystallographic order-disorder transition can be triggered within individual aragonite platelets in pristine nacre by means of heat treatment and/or inelastic deformation, offering a unique opportunity to discriminate mysterious aragonite nanoparticles in transmission electron microscopy. Our findings unambiguously uncover why aragonite nanoparticles in pristine nacre have long been inaccessible under TEM observation, which is attributed to the monocrystal-polycrystal duality of the aragonite platelet. The underlying physical mechanism for why an individual aragonite platelet adopts a highly oriented attachment of aragonite nanoparticles as its crystallization pathway is, for the first time, explained in terms of the thermodynamics. The finding of an order-disorder transition in nacre provides a new perspective for understanding the formation for other biominerals.

Patterning hierarchy in direct and inverse opal crystals

Biological strategies for bottom-up synthesis of inorganic crystalline and amorphous materials within topographic templates have recently become an attractive approach for fabricating complex synthetic structures. Inspired by these strategies, herein the synthesis of multi-layered, hierarchical inverse colloidal crystal films formed directly on topographically patterned substrates via evaporative deposition, or "co-assembly", of polymeric spheres with a silicate sol-gel precursor solution and subsequent removal of the colloidal template, is described. The response of this growing composite colloid-silica system to artificially imposed 3D spatial constraints of various geometries is systematically studied, and compared with that of direct colloidal crystal assembly on the same template. Substrates designed with arrays of rectangular, triangular, and hexagonal prisms and cylinders are shown to control crystallographic domain nucleation and orientation of the direct and inverse opals. With this bottom-up topographical approach, it is demonstrated that the system can be manipulated to either form large patterned single crystals, or crystals with a fine-tuned extent of disorder, and to nucleate distinct colloidal domains of a defined size, location, and orientation in a wide range of length-scales. The resulting ordered, quasi-ordered, and disordered colloidal crystal films show distinct optical properties. Therefore, this method provides a means of controlling bottom-up synthesis of complex, hierarchical direct and inverse opal structures designed for altering optical properties and increased functionality.

Biomineralization as an inspiration for materials chemistry

Living organisms are well known for building a wide range of specially designed organic-inorganic hybrid materials such as bone, teeth, and shells, which are highly sophisticated in terms of their adaptation to function. This has inspired physicists, chemists, and materials scientists to mimic such structures and their properties. In this Review we describe how strategies used by nature to build and tune the properties of biominerals have been applied to the synthesis of materials for biomedical, industrial, and technological purposes. Bio-inspired approaches such as molecular templating, supramolecular templating, organized surfaces, and phage display as well as methods to replicate the structure and function of biominerals are discussed. We also show that the application of in situ techniques to study and visualize the bio-inspired materials is of paramount importance to understand, control, and optimize their preparation. Biominerals are synthesized in aqueous media under ambient conditions, and these approaches can lead to materials with a reduced ecological footprint than can traditional methods.

Structure-property relationships of a biological mesocrystal in the adult sea urchin spine

Structuring over many length scales is a design strategy widely used in Nature to create materials with unique functional properties. We here present a comprehensive analysis of an adult sea urchin spine, and in revealing a complex, hierarchical structure, show how Nature fabricates a material which diffracts as a single crystal of calcite and yet fractures as a glassy material. Each spine comprises a highly oriented array of Mg-calcite nanocrystals in which amorphous regions and macromolecules are embedded. It is postulated that this mesocrystalline structure forms via the crystallization of a dense array of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) precursor particles. A residual surface layer of ACC and/or macromolecules remains around the nanoparticle units which creates the mesocrystal structure and contributes to the conchoidal fracture behavior. Nature's demonstration of how crystallization of an amorphous precursor phase can create a crystalline material with remarkable properties therefore provides inspiration for a novel approach to the design and synthesis of synthetic composite materials.

Self-assembly of amorphous calcium carbonate microlens arrays

Biological materials are often based on simple constituents and grown by the principle of self-assembly under ambient conditions. In particular, biomineralization approaches exploit efficient pathways of inorganic material synthesis. There is still a large gap between the complexity of natural systems and the practical utilization of bioinspired formation mechanisms. Here we describe a simple self-assembly route leading to a CaCO₃ microlens array, somewhat reminiscent of the brittlestars' microlenses, with uniform size and focal length, by using a minimum number of components and equipment at ambient conditions. The formation mechanism of the amorphous CaCO₃ microlens arrays was elucidated by confocal Raman spectroscopic imaging to be a two-step growth process mediated by the organic surfactant. CaCO₃ microlens arrays are easy to fabricate, biocompatible and functional in amorphous or more stable crystalline forms. This shows that advanced optical materials can be generated by a simple mineral precipitation.

Biological materials efficiently exploit self-assembly of simple constituents to produce complex functional structures such as optical devices. By controlling organic molecules, Lee et al. show fast two-step self-assembly of CaCO₃ microlens arrays, reminiscent of their biological counterparts.

Bio-inspired synthesis: understanding and exploitation of the crystallization process from amorphous precursors

Many biominerals, such as mollusk nacre, sea urchin, bone and teeth, are found to form by an amorphous precursor pathway, and these biominerals have remarkable properties, which are better than their artificial material counterparts that are formed at high temperatures and high pressures. More than ever, synthesizing technologically relevant materials following nature's way with a specific size, shape, orientation, organization, and complex form has been a focus of ongoing interest due to the increasing need for low cost and environmentally friendly approaches to processing advanced materials. Herein, we present recent developments in the crystallization process from amorphous precursors by primarily drawing on results from our own laboratory, and discuss some unique characteristics from the transformation process that can be exploited for the design and synthesis of artificial functional materials.

Potential role of the amelogenin N-terminus in the regulation of calcium phosphate formation in vitro

N-terminal and C-terminal (CT) domains of amelogenin have been shown to be essential for proper enamel formation. Recent studies have also suggested that although the C-terminus plays an apparent role in protein-mineral interactions, other amelogenin structural domains are involved. The objective was to explore the role of the amelogenin N-terminus in the regulation of calcium phosphate formation in vitro. Spontaneous mineralization studies were carried out using the phosphorylated (+P) and nonphosphorylated (-P) N-terminus of the leucine-rich amelogenin peptide (LRAP) that lacks the hydrophilic CT domain. Mineralization progress was monitored via changes in solution pH. Mineral phases formed were characterized using TEM, selected area electron diffraction, and FT-IR. In controls, amorphous calcium phosphate was initially formed and subsequently transformed to randomly oriented hydroxyapatite (HA) plate-like crystals. In contrast to the control, LRAP(+P)-CT stabilized ACP formation for >1 day, while LRAP(-P)-CT accelerated the transformation of ACP to HA but had little effect on crystal shape or orientation. In conclusion, the N-terminal domain found in LRAP, as in amelogenins, appears to have the capacity to interact with forming calcium phosphate mineral phases. Results suggest that the N-terminal domain of amelogenin may play a direct role in early stages of enamel formation.

Molecular aspects of biomineralization of the echinoderm endoskeleton

Echinoderms possess a rigid endoskeleton composed of calcite and small amounts of occluded organic matrix proteins. The test (i.e., the shell-like structure of adults), spines, pedicellariae, tube feet, and teeth of adults, as well as delicate endoskeletal spicules found in larvae of some classes, are the main skeletal structures. They have been intensively studied for insight into the mechanisms of biomineralization. Recent work on characterization of the mineral phase and occluded proteins in embryonic skeletal spicules shows that these simple-looking structures contain scores of different proteins, and that the mineral phase is composed of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), which then transforms to an anhydrous ACC and eventually to calcite. Likewise, the adult tooth shows a similar transition from hydrated ACC to anhydrous ACC to calcite during its formation, and a similar transition is likely occurring during adult spine regeneration. We speculate that: (1) the ACC precursor is a general strategy employed in biomineralization in echinoderms, (2) the numerous occluded proteins play a role in post-secretion formation of the mature biomineralized structure, and (3) proteins with "multi-valent" intrinsically disordered domains are important for formation of occluded matrix structures, and regulation of crucial matrix-mineral interactions, such as ACC to calcite transitions and polymorph selection.

Morphological control of CaCO3 films with large area: effect of additives and self-organization under atmospheric conditions

Hierarchically structured CaCO(3) films were synthesized at atmospheric conditions (room temperature and 1 atm) without the use of templates or amphiphilic molecules in this process. The resulting CaCO(3) film was formed by self-organization between Ca(OH)(2) and aqueous CO(2). The building blocks of the CaCO(3) film were thought to be CaCO(3) primary nanoparticles that aligned to build higher level structures with greater size, called mesocrystals, depending on the additives. The soluble additives played a key role in the control of the morphology, crystallinity, and polymorphism of the CaCO(3) film, and the effects strongly depended on the type of additive and their concentrations. The additives used in this study decreased the crystallinity of CaCO(3) (calcite) film in the order of glucose > aspartic acid > serine in a manner inversely proportional to the concentration of the additives. In addition, Mg(2+), K(+), and Na(+) ion additives led to the formation of an aragonite phase, the proportion of which increased with the concentration of ions. The threshold concentrations of these ions for the formation of the aragonite phase in CaCO(3) film were found to be in the order of Na(+) > K(+) > Mg(2+).