Despite the complicated hierarchical structures of natural materials such as shells, bones,
and teeth, their basic building blocks are generally in the nanometer size range [1–6] to …

Enamel, the exterior coating of vertebrate teeth, is a biomineral with remarkable hardness
and resistance to physical and biochemical attack. The special features of enamel result …

Living organisms are well known for building a wide range of specially designed organic–
inorganic hybrid materials such as bone, teeth, and shells, which are highly sophisticated in …

The constructive interaction of an inorganic crystal phase with an organic matrix results in
the formation of composite biomaterials that have an exceptional appearance and …

Biomimetic mineralization is a powerful approach for the synthesis of advanced materials
with complex shape, hierarchical organization and controlled size, shape and polymorph …

“Non-classical” notions consider formation pathways of crystalline materials where larger
species than monomeric chemical constituents, ie, ions or single molecules, play crucial …

Many biominerals are laminated such that crystal shape or habit changes from layer to layer
thus yielding exquisitely designed composite materials with tightly controlled properties …

Nature successfully employs inorganic solid-state materials (ie, biominerals) and
hierarchical composites as sensing elements, weapons, tools, and shelters. Optimized over …

This tutorial review provides an overview of bio-directed synthesis of nanomaterials, starting
with the foundation of biomineralization research—how organisms are able to biomineralize …

Biominerals can exhibit exceptional mechanical properties owing to their hierarchically‐
ordered organic/inorganic nanocomposite structure. However, synthetic routes to oriented …