Guided Design of Materials Using Functional Peptides – From Bone-Like Apatite to Diatom Biosilica

Fabrication of materials akin to the ones naturally found in the hard tissue of organisms requires use of a special class of proteins which act as tiny bioengineers, sculpting, and shaping minerals into strong viable hard tissue. Using these molecules in processes that mimic nature is not only a promising avenue to generating biodegradable green materials but also ensures compatibility of biomaterials such as dental and bone replacements. Two examples are given where the power of highly potent peptides derived from these proteins is used to control the morphology of hydroxyapatite, the inorganic material forming the hard part of bone, and to catalyze and shape silica which serves to protect the unicellular phytoplankton called diatoms. The structure and activity of these peptides and their influence on the shape and physical characteristics of bioinspired material formed are investigated using several techniques, predominantly using NMR and computational tools.