Observation of an organic-inorganic lattice match during biomimetic growth of (001)-oriented calcite crystals under floating sulfate monolayers.
Macromolecular layers rich in amino acids and with some sulfated polysaccharides appear to control oriented calcite growth in living organisms. Calcite crystals nucleating under floating acid monolayers have been found to be unoriented on average. We have now observed directly, using in situ grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, that there is a 1:1 match between the monolayer unit cell and the unit cell of the (001) plane of calcite. Thus, sulfate head groups appear to act as templates for the growth of (001)-oriented calcite crystals, which is the orientation commonly found in biominerals.
Kewalramani
Sumit
S
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
Kim
Kyungil
K
Stripe
Benjamin
B
Evmenenko
Guennadi
G
Dommett
Geoffrey H B
GH
Dutta
Pulak
P
D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000737:chemistry*; D003460:Crystallization; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry*; D013431:Sulfates / Q000737:chemistry*
D009930:Organic Chemicals; D013431:Sulfates; D002119:Calcium Carbonate