Events

Bioinspired syntheses of nanostructured materials - Dr David Bassett, Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

Date: Friday 3 February 2012 14:00 - 15:00

Location: Nanoforce Seminar Room, Joseph Priestly Building

Bioinspired syntheses of nanostructured materials.

Dr David Bassett.
Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

Although the study of biominerals may be traced back many centuries, it is only recently that biological principles have been applied to synthetic systems in processes termed “biomimetic” and “bioinspired” to yield materials syntheses that are otherwise not possible and may also reduce the expenditure of energy and/or eliminate toxic by products. Many investigators have taken inspiration from interesting and unusual minerals formed by organisms, by a process termed biomineralisation, to tailor the nanostructure of inorganic materials not necessarily found biogenically. However, the fields of nanoparticle synthesis and biomineralisation remain largely separate. In this presentation I will describe my recent studies directed at applying bioinspired principles to materials syntheses at the nanoscale.