Kurzfassung

Nature represents an inexhaustible source of inspiration for biotechnological approaches. Numerous approaches attempt to mimic natural biomineralization in order to benefit from the advantages of the original biological system (e.g., enzyme-mediated synthesis of biosilica). In particular siliceous spicules are subject of many studies since they are single-, few-, or multimode light waveguides. Their distinct characteristics (birefringence-free, mechanical strength, etc.) qualify them as...Nature represents an inexhaustible source of inspiration for biotechnological approaches. Numerous approaches attempt to mimic natural biomineralization in order to benefit from the advantages of the original biological system (e.g., enzyme-mediated synthesis of biosilica). In particular siliceous spicules are subject of many studies since they are single-, few-, or multimode light waveguides. Their distinct characteristics (birefringence-free, mechanical strength, etc.) qualify them as innovative model for bottom-up approaches to develop bioinspired optical fibers. The proposed interdisciplinary project aims to generate novel bio-optical structures by coupling recently developed biomimetic synthetic spicules to biomimetic calcite microlenses (calcite microlenses are optical microscale components of photosensory organs that guide/focus light, free of birefringence and aberration) via the bioengineered, calcite binding silica-protein silintaphin 1. Hence, the resulting structures represent unique and bioinspired optical elements.» weiterlesen» einklappen