CAREER: Crystal Morphogenesis via a Polymer-Induced Liquid-Precursor (PILP) Process

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The aim of this research project in biomimetic materials chemistry is to apply low temperature, aqueous-based processing methods towards the development of new techniques for crystal engineering and in situ fabrication of organic-inorganic composites. This project will examine the physicochemical aspects of a recently discovered crystallization process, termed the Polymer-Induced Liquid-Precursor (PILP) process. In the PILP process, anionic polypeptides that mimic the acidic proteins found in biominerals are used to sequester ions in crystallizing solutions of calcium-based salts to induce this unusual liquid-liquid phase separation process. Rather than precipitating nuclei of the inorganic salt, microscopic liquid-like droplets of a mineral precursor are formed. Because liquids take the shape of their container, the liquid-phase mineral precursor can conceivably be molded into various shapes, providing materials engineers with a new tool for regulating crystal morphology. A new outreach program for Materials Chemistry will be established at the University of Florida. This summer research program will recruit undergraduate students from some of the women's colleges in the northeast and historically black universities in Florida. The projects will provide an opportunity to those students who would like to explore the applications side of materials chemistry. %%%Advances in the area of biomineralization will have important medical implications dealing with the formation of bones and teeth, as well as pathological biominerals such as kidney stones, biomaterial encrustation, and atherosclerotic plaque. It is anticipated that the benign processing conditions of the "biomimetic" PILP process will be particularly advantageous for applications that require the incorporation of organic, polymeric, or biological components into ceramic materials, and thus could be useful for the fabrication of biosensors, biocatalysis, bioseparations, and hard-tissue engineering. Students trained in these areas compete well for a range of jobs in the medical industry.