Scientists have recently been investigating the prospective benefits of a particular type of single celled algae called diatoms, as a potential key to unveil new advances in nanotechnology. What has captured the attention of researchers is the ability of this single celled organism to undergo chemical processes to produce an inorganic material silica or SiO2. This allows these diatoms to create intricately structured cell walls composed of SiO2. Of the known diatoms, there are in excess of tens of thousands of species all of which exhibit their owns unique structures and micro patterns. This has become of great interest to scientists due to the possible applications of this substance in the science of nanotechnology. Furthermore, what has intrigued researchers is the diatoms mastered ability of undertaking two contradicting processes: the biosynthesis of precise complex structures and the enormous variation of this process amongst species. If it were possible to manipulate the genetic coding of these algae, it could eventually lead to the selective production of diatom silica structures for various nanotechnological applications. Some examples of possible applications include, semiconductor nanolithography, optical systems and the production of nanoscale components.
References:
- http://i.treehugger.com/images/2007/10/24/diatoms-jj-001.jpg
- http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev.genet.41.110306.130109?amp;searchHistoryKey=%24%7BsearchHistoryKey%7D#h19
Hanalie R Antalan 42043351
