Syntheses of Biominerals under the Template of Artificial Miomembranes

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This project aimed at clarifying the mechanisms of biomineralization occurring in bioorgnaisms on a molecular scale. The study was focused on the following two aspects : (1) what kind of role organic templates play in the formation of biominerals ; (2) How a variety of structures of biominerals are related to their functions. In order to solve these problems, we took an approach of utilizing artificial membranes as a template. It was attempted to simulate the syntheses of biominerals on such a membrane. As an artificial template, we used Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films deposited onto a solid substrate. The LB films were prepared by spreading amphiphilic metal complexes onto an air-water interface. The metal complexes possessed functional groups such as COOH and NH2. These groups were thought to act as a director in forming biominerals in bioorganisms. As a result, it was shown that the orientation and density of these functional groups played a decisive role in determining the structure of biominerals. These attempts might give an insight to understanding the formation mechanism functions of biominerals.