Green Approach in Synthesis of Bio-Inspired Materials

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineralogical Crystallography and Biomineralization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 13752

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute for General, Inorganic and Physical Chemistry and Teaching Methods in Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Ulica cara Hadrijana 8/A, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Interests: spontaneous precipitation; precipitation in vitro; precipitation with additives; pathological biomineralization; biomineralization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for General, Inorganic and Physical Chemistry and Teaching Methods in Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Ulica cara Hadrijana 8/A, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Interests: green aproach; antioksidans; biologically active compounds; voltammetric techiques; EIS; modified electrodes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Laboratory for Precipitation Processes, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička c. 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: crystallization of sparingly soluble inorganic salts; crystal growth from aqueous solutions; mechanisms and precipitation kinetics; biomineralization; environmental protection; industrial crystallization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička c. 54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: biomineralization; basic research on the mechanisms and kinetics of the process of precipitation (nucleation, crystal growth) in solid-liquid systems; bioinspired crystallization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Topics of interest in this Special Issue include studies on biomineralization/pathological biomineralization and the synthesis of bioinspired materials.

Biomineralization refers to the processes by which organisms deposit a mineral phase, which is usually indicated as biomineral, under mild chemical conditions, in an aqueous medium and at ambient temperature. These processes can occur in normal (e.g., the bone, tooth enamel, or shell of the mollusc) and in pathological circumstances (ectopic mineral deposits). It is known that organisms have considerable control over the formation of biominerals and that the resulting organic–inorganic hybrid materials (biominerals) have remarkable physical–chemical or mechanical properties. Therefore, scientists strive to imitate biomineralization processes, in order to synthesize new, bioinspired materials whose structure, properties, or function mimic those of naturally occurring materials. It is clear that the design of materials and structures inspired by nature represents a special challenge and an multidisciplinary approach is needed. Additionally, the growing interest of researchers in biologically active compounds is encouraging the development of new bioinspired syntheses.

The goal of this Special Issue is, also, to promote the current trend of “green chemistry”. Green synthesis depends on the simplicity, cost effectiveness, and ecofriendliness for the production of well-characterized bioinspired materials. The validity of the synthesis depends on the nature of the solvent with minimal wastage in terms of energy and raw materials, safety in material synthesis, and reducing the impact on the environment.

We are delighted to invite researchers to participate in this Special Issue, titled “Green Approach in Synthesis of Bioinspired Materials". Papers related to the green approach on the following topics, as well as to the keywords listed below, are welcomed:

  • The synthesis and characterization of biominerals as well as the investigation of biomineralization/pathological biomineralization mechanisms;
  • Bio-inspired synthesis of materials;
  • The assembly and applications bioinspired materials as well as crystallization pathway studies.

Dr. Anamarija Stanković
Dr. Martina Medvidović-Kosanović
Dr. Jasminka Kontrec
Dr. Branka Njegić Džakula
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Biomineralization
  • Pathological biomineralization
  • Green synthesis
  • Bioinspired synthesis
  • Biologically active compounds
  • Additives
  • Antioxidants

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 192 KiB  
Editorial
Green Approach in Synthesis of Bio-Inspired Materials
by Anamarija Stanković, Martina Medvidović-Kosanović, Jasminka Kontrec and Branka Njegić Džakula
Crystals 2021, 11(10), 1243; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11101243 - 14 Oct 2021
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Abstract
In this Special Issue, we focus on biomineralization/pathological biomineralization systems and the synthesis of bioinspired materials [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Approach in Synthesis of Bio-Inspired Materials)

Research

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13 pages, 2769 KiB  
Article
Effect of pH and Type of Stirring on the Spontaneous Precipitation of CaCO3 at Identical Initial Supersaturation, Ionic Strength and a(Ca2+)/a(CO32−) Ratio
by Jasminka Kontrec, Nenad Tomašić, Nives Matijaković Mlinarić, Damir Kralj and Branka Njegić Džakula
Crystals 2021, 11(9), 1075; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11091075 - 05 Sep 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2919
Abstract
CaCO3 precipitation is physical-chemical basis of biomineral formation of hard tissue (shells, skeletons) in marine calcifying organisms (=biomineralization). Processes controlling biomineralization are still not fully clarified, so the study of influence of pH on basic processes of CaCO3 precipitation should contribute [...] Read more.
CaCO3 precipitation is physical-chemical basis of biomineral formation of hard tissue (shells, skeletons) in marine calcifying organisms (=biomineralization). Processes controlling biomineralization are still not fully clarified, so the study of influence of pH on basic processes of CaCO3 precipitation should contribute to better understanding of biomineralization under climate change. This paper reports on the effect of initial pH (pH0) and type of stirring (mechanical and magnetical) on spontaneous precipitation and phase composition, size and morphology of spontaneously precipitated CaCO3 formed at the identical initial supersaturation, ionic strength and a(Ca2+)/a(CO32−) ratio. The initial pH varied in a range 8.50 ≤ pH0 ≤ 10.50 and included values relevant for mimicking the conditions related to biomineralization in marine organisms. In all systems two CaCO3 polymorphs were found: calcite and/or vaterite. The increase of pH0 favoured the formation of rhombohedral calcite no matter the type of stirring. This was exclusively influenced by the systems’ pH0 (other relevant initial parameters were identical). Furthermore, increase of pH0 caused change of vaterite morphology from cauliflower-like spheroids to regular spherulites. The mechanically stirred systems produced larger calcite and vaterite particles and higher content of calcite. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Approach in Synthesis of Bio-Inspired Materials)
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18 pages, 3629 KiB  
Article
Calcium Oxalate and Gallic Acid: Structural Characterization and Process Optimization toward Obtaining High Contents of Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate and Dihydrate
by Silvija Šafranko, Sara Goman, Dominik Goman, Stela Jokić, Ida Delač Marion, Nives Matijaković Mlinarić, Atiđa Selmani, Martina Medvidović-Kosanović and Anamarija Stanković
Crystals 2021, 11(8), 954; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11080954 - 15 Aug 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3095
Abstract
The search for an efficient drug or inhibitor in the formation process of kidney stones has been a promising research topic towards reducing the risks of the formation of disease. However, several challenges have been faced in investigating the most common constituents of [...] Read more.
The search for an efficient drug or inhibitor in the formation process of kidney stones has been a promising research topic towards reducing the risks of the formation of disease. However, several challenges have been faced in investigating the most common constituents of kidney stones, calcium oxalate and its hydrate forms (COM, COD and COT). This study focuses on the preparation and structural characterization (TG, XRD, FTIR, SEM) of calcium oxalate hydrates in the presence of gallic acid (GA) and by varying operating parameters such as temperature (25 °C, 36.5 °C and 48 °C), pH (5.6, 6.5 and 7.5) and amount of added GA (ranging from 100 mg to 1000 mg). Response surface methodology was applied in order to evaluate the effects of operating parameters in the formation of COM and COD, and for the process optimization towards maximizing their content in samples. The results indicated that GA inhibited the formation of COM (0–100%) and promoted the formation of COD (0 ≤ 99%), while a medium pH and the amount of added GA showed a significant effect in the process of COD formation. In order to investigate the interactions established in the formation process and the possible adsorption between GA and the formed crystals, electrochemical measurements were performed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Approach in Synthesis of Bio-Inspired Materials)
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16 pages, 3517 KiB  
Article
Comparison of the Effect of the Amino Acids on Spontaneous Formation and Transformation of Calcium Phosphates
by Ina Erceg, Nadica Maltar-Strmečki, Darija Domazet Jurašin, Vida Strasser, Marija Ćurlin, Daniel Mark Lyons, Borna Radatović, Nives Matijaković Mlinarić, Damir Kralj and Maja Dutour Sikirić
Crystals 2021, 11(7), 792; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11070792 - 07 Jul 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2951
Abstract
Understanding the effect that specific amino acids (AA) exert on calcium phosphate (CaPs) formation is proposed as a way of providing deeper insight into CaPs’ biomineralization and enabling the design of tailored-made additives for the synthesis of functional materials. Despite a number of [...] Read more.
Understanding the effect that specific amino acids (AA) exert on calcium phosphate (CaPs) formation is proposed as a way of providing deeper insight into CaPs’ biomineralization and enabling the design of tailored-made additives for the synthesis of functional materials. Despite a number of investigations, the role of specific AA is still unclear, mostly because markedly different experimental conditions have been employed in different studies. The aim of this paper was to compare the influence of different classes of amino acids, charged (aspartic acid, Asp and lysine, Lys), polar (asparagine, Asn and serine, Ser) and non-polar (phenylalanine, Phe) on CaPs formation and transformation in conditions similar to physiological conditions. The precipitation process was followed potentiometrically, while Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, electron paramagnetic spectroscopy (EPR), scanning and transmission electron microscopy were used for the characterization of precipitates. Except for Phe, all investigated AAs inhibited amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) transformation, with Ser being the most efficient inhibitor. In all systems, ACP transformed in calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite (CaDHA). However, the size of crystalline domains was affected, as well as CaDHA morphology. In EPR spectra, the contribution of different radical species with different proportions in diverse surroundings, depending on the type of AA present, was observed. The obtained results are of interest for the preparation of functionalized CaPs’, as well as for the understanding of their formation in vivo. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Approach in Synthesis of Bio-Inspired Materials)
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Review

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8 pages, 248 KiB  
Review
In Vitro Cell Culture Models of Hyperoxaluric States: Calcium Oxalate and Renal Epithelial Cell Interactions
by Ana Petrović, Tomislav Kizivat, Ines Bilić Ćurčić, Robert Smolić and Martina Smolić
Crystals 2021, 11(7), 735; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11070735 - 25 Jun 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2569
Abstract
Urolithiasis is a multifactorial disease with a high incidence and high recurrence rate, characterized by formation of solid deposits in the urinary tract. The most common type of these stones are calcium oxalate stones. Calcium oxalate crystals can, in hyperoxaluric states, interact with [...] Read more.
Urolithiasis is a multifactorial disease with a high incidence and high recurrence rate, characterized by formation of solid deposits in the urinary tract. The most common type of these stones are calcium oxalate stones. Calcium oxalate crystals can, in hyperoxaluric states, interact with renal epithelial cells, causing injury to the renal epithelia. Pathogenesis of urolithiasis is widely investigated, but underlying mechanisms are still not completely clarified. In vitro models offer insight into molecular processes which lead to renal stone formation and are significant for evaluation of prophylactic and therapeutic management of patients with urolithiasis. In this review, we summarize recently published data from in vitro studies investigating interactions of calcium oxalate crystals with renal epithelial cell lines, anti-urolithiatic mechanisms, and the results from studies exploring possible therapeutic and prophylactic options for calcium oxalate urolithiasis in cell cultures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Approach in Synthesis of Bio-Inspired Materials)
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