title: Preparation of monolithic silica-chitin composite under extreme biomimetic conditions.
abstract: Chitin is a widespread renewable biopolymer that is extensively distributed in the natural world. The high thermal stability of chitin provides an opportunity to develop novel inorganic-organic composites under hydrothermal synthesis conditions in vitro. For the first time, in this work we prepared monolithic silica-chitin composite under extreme biomimetic conditions (80°C and pH 1.5) using three dimensional chitinous matrices isolated from the marine sponge Aplysina cauliformis. The resulting material was studied using light and fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. A mechanism for the silica-chitin interaction after exposure to these hydrothermal conditions is proposed and discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Physics, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, D-09599 Freiberg, Germany. Electronic address: vasily.bazhenov@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Vasilii V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Bazhenov
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Poznan University of Technology, PL-60965 Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wysokowski
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Physics, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, D-09599 Freiberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Iaroslav
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Petrenko
authors.affiliation: Department of Material Commodity Sciences and Textile Metrology, Lodz University of Technology, PL-90924 Łódź, Poland.
authors.forename: Dawid
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stawski
authors.affiliation: P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Science, 117997 Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sapozhnikov
authors.affiliation: R&D Chemistry, EKF Diagnostics, D-39179 Barleben, Germany.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Born
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, 90300 Hudson Hall, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
authors.forename: Allison L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Stelling
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Physics, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, D-09599 Freiberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Poznan University of Technology, PL-60965 Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Teofil
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jesionowski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D032701:Biomimetics / Q000379:methods; D002686:Chitin / Q000737:chemistry*; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011161:Porifera / Q000737:chemistry; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D002686:Chitin; D012822:Silicon Dioxide
keywords: Chitin; Extreme Biomimetics; Scaffolds; Silicification; Sponges