Biomimetic Sol-Gel Materials

An overview of the recent literature suggests that bioinspired approaches have become prevalent over biological and biomimetic studies. This chapter provides key elements that have driven the area of research from living organisms to functional materials, via the physical chemistry of the (bio)molecules-mineral interfaces. It emphasizes the strong interplay between three approaches: description of the natural systems, understanding of underlying processes via model studies, and application to functional materials. In the first case, chemical concepts have been crucial to identify and validate the strategies of biosilicification that have been developed by living organisms during evolution. The second aspect has revealed new biologically induced pathways to metal oxide phases. This has ultimately contributed to the rapid development of a new class of materials, that is, biohybrids that intimately associate biological and chemical components.