For many decades, wood silicification has been viewed as a relatively simple process of permineralization that occurs when silica dissolved in groundwater precipitates to fill vacant spaces within the porous tissue. The presence specific minerals is commonly ascribed diagenetic changes. possibility rapid inferred from evidence modern hot springs. Extensive examination silicified worldwide local...

Micropatterns of silica were generated under biocompatible conditions by a combination of microcontact printing (muCP), layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly, and biomimetic silicification. Quaternary amine-containing poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) induced polycondensation of silicic acid, resulting in spatioselective formation of silica micropatterns. Scale bar: 10 microm.

Inspired by biosilicification of glass sponges, we designed a catalytic peptide, which formed silica structures in the imidazole-buffered solution. The peptide was adsorbed selectively onto the surface of yeast cells, and the bioinspired silicification led to the formation of a cytoprotective silica shell on individual yeast cells.

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Abstract We report on silicified trilobite sclerites with associated biofilm from the Cambrian Weeks Formation, Utah (USA), that support a role for microbial biofilms in silicification. Silicified are typically small (<3 mm) and incompletely preserved. All studied specimens partly coated 5–20 µm (rarely >500 µm) of silica-cemented matrix. High-resolution scanning electron microsco...