Bioinspired synthesis of mesoporous silicas

Recent years have witnessed rapid growth in the number of new investigations at the interface of materials chemistry and biology. This review highlights the recent developments in the studies of protein-mediated silica biomineralization in diatoms and the "downscaling" and "upscaling" models derived thereof, as well as the recent progress in the fabrication of artificial silicas with novel pore structures and morphologies at different length scales based on these new insights into biosilica formation. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.