Nature employs inorganic solid-state materials (i.e., biominerals) into hierarchical composites as sensing elements, weapons, tools, or as shelters. Optimized over hundreds of millions of years under evolutionary pressure, these composites are exceptionally adopted to a set of specifications for which and under which they function. Made from mundane materials under ambient conditions, the exquisite hierarchical organization of these biominerals often enables multifunctionality. These bioconstructs thus serve as a library of brilliant engineering solutions where the interplay between components is critical to nano- to the macrostructure hierarchical control.
This symposium will address recent advancements in our understanding of the synthesis and properties of biogenic materials, along with current developments in our venture to transform our newly gained insights into novel approaches for materials design and synthesis. Representative topics include: self-organization, (non)classical crystallization, structure-property relationships of structured, graded or composite materials, sustainable materials and processes.
