Background Silicon and aluminium oxides make the bulk of agricultural soils. Plants absorb
dissolved silicon as silicic acid into their bodies through their roots. The silicic acid moves …

Polyelectrolyte coacervates, with their greater-than-water density, low interfacial energy,
shear thinning viscosity, and ability to undergo structural arrest, mediate the formation of …

Carbon dioxide (CO2) mineralization based on aqueous carbonation of alkaline earth
silicate minerals is a promising route toward large-scale carbon removal. Traditional …

The formation mechanism of SiO 2 aggregates is controversial because two contrasting
hypotheses are often proposed to explain plant silicification. In this review, we summarize …

Lysozyme is widely known to promote the formation of condensed silica networks from
solutions containing silicic acid, in a reproducible and cost-effective way. However, little is …

Multistep mineralization processes are pivotal in the fabrication of functional materials and
are often characterized by far from equilibrium conditions and high supersaturation …

Deciphering nature's remarkable way of encoding functions in its biominerals holds the
potential to enable the rational development of nature‐inspired materials with tailored …

Silica is extensively deposited by plants, however, only little is known about the molecular
control over this process. Siliplant1 is the only known plant protein to precipitate biosilica …

Several organisms are able to polycondensate tetraoxosilicic (IV) acid to form silicon (IV)
dioxide using polycationic molecules. According to an earlier mechanistic proposal, these …

A binary mixture of mesoporous silica nanoparticles plus organic polyammonium additive
(dye or drug) is cleanly converted upon mild heating into hollow nanoparticles. The …