Abstract
Some enzymes catalyze the formation of precipitants of metal ions, and some others directly interact with metal-containing precursors. Such enzymes allow the synthesis of inorganic solids under mild conditions. Due to the nature of enzymatic reactions, enzyme-mediated ceramic synthesis techniques can facilitate (1) site-selective ceramic deposition, (2) low temperature ceramic synthesis, (3) intact combination of ceramics with heat-sensitive materials, and sometimes (4) synthesis of metastable phases. The morphology of the resultant ceramics can be tailored in many ways by immobilizing enzymes onto various templates. So far, successful cases have been reported in preparing thin film coatings, hollow micro- or nanospheres, multi-layer stacking, nanotubes, 2D patterns, honeycombs, 3D replicas of biominerals, and so on. Enzyme-mediated ceramic synthesis provoked the emergence of a new type of processing technique which employs proteins or peptides as the mediators. Practical applications of enzyme- or peptide-mediated ceramics are on the horizon in many fields, such as biomaterials, enzyme immobilization supports, and enzyme sensors. This article presents a comprehensive survey of the recent advances of enzyme-mediated ceramic synthesis and related techniques as well as future outlook.
