A Bio-Inspired Approach to Functional Composite Crystals

功能复合晶体的仿生方法

• 批准号: 2090530
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Leeds
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2017 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2090530
• 关键词: Bio; Inspired; Approach; Functional; Composite

Nanocomposites are an exciting class of materials, where the ability to engineer compositions, structures and properties at the nanoscale and mesoscale promises multi-functionality and novel properties. This project will develop a new strategy for fabricating nanocomposites with unique structures - single crystals containing occlusions ranging from small molecules to nanoparticles (NPs). The inspiration for our approach comes from the remarkable structures and properties of biominerals, and in particular their composite structures. Even single crystal biominerals are inorganic/ organic composites in which proteins are embedded within the crystal lattice. Thus, although crystallisation is traditionally used for purifying materials, nature shows us that additives can be efficiently occluded under appropriate conditions. This PhD project comprises three sub-projects(1) We will profit from crystals with composite inorganic/ organic structures to generate porous crystals. Calcium carbonate crystals will be precipitated in the presence of a range of organic molecules, leading to their occlusion within the crystal structure. The crystals will then be annealed to generate porous crystals. A wide range of oraic additives and heating regimes will be explored to give optimal results. This offers a novel and simple synthetic strategy for tailoring the densities and refractive indices of minerals.(2) Our strategy will also be used to create minerals that exhibit structural colour. Sub-micron particles with a range of sizes will be occluded in single crystal and polycrystalline particles with the goal of tuning the colour of these particles. The influence of the particle size, the density andlocation of the particles within the crystals will be explored as a means of controlling the colours of the crystals.(3) Calcium carbonate is produced on an industrial scale using a synthesis based on calcium hydroxide. We will explore how this method of producing "precipitated calcium carbonate" can be applied to the synthesis of composite crystals, enabling our reaction strategies to be scaled-up and employed in industry.

纳米复合材料是一类令人兴奋的材料，其中在纳米级和介观尺度上设计组合物、结构和性能的能力有望实现多功能性和新颖性能。该项目将开发一种制造具有独特结构的纳米复合材料的新策略-包含从小分子到纳米颗粒（NP）的闭塞的单晶。我们方法的灵感来自于生物矿物的显着结构和特性，特别是它们的复合结构。即使是单晶生物矿物也是无机/有机复合物，其中蛋白质嵌入晶格中。因此，尽管结晶传统上用于纯化材料，但大自然向我们表明，添加剂可以在适当的条件下有效地被吸收。本博士项目包括三个子项目：（1）我们将从具有复合无机/有机结构的晶体中获益，以产生多孔晶体。碳酸钙晶体将在一系列有机分子存在下沉淀，导致其在晶体结构内的闭塞。然后将晶体退火以产生多孔晶体。将探索广泛的oraic添加剂和加热制度，以获得最佳结果。这为定制矿物的密度和折射率提供了一种新颖而简单的合成策略。(2)我们的策略还将用于创造具有结构色的矿物。具有一系列尺寸的亚微米颗粒将被吸留在单晶和多晶颗粒中，目的是调节这些颗粒的颜色。探讨了晶体中粒子的大小、密度和位置对晶体颜色的影响，并以此作为控制晶体颜色的手段。(3)碳酸钙在工业规模上使用基于氢氧化钙的合成来生产。我们将探索这种生产“沉淀碳酸钙”的方法如何应用于合成复合晶体，使我们的反应策略能够扩大规模并在工业中应用。