Biomineralization is a biochemical process forming biominerals under mild conditions. Although many studies have explored nucleation to crystal growth mechanisms of bioinorganic matter, no universal principle has been established. Herein, four topics related to biomineralization are described: (1) molecular, structural, and functional designs of peptide-based templates for mineralization; (2) structural control mechanisms for inorganic matters; (3) functional modification of organic–inorganic hybrid materials; (4) functional hydrogel fabrication by applying the structural control mechanism inspired by mineralization. The described studies provide significant breakthroughs for improving the functions of organic–inorganic hybrid materials utilizing mineralization-inspired environmentally friendly processes and for the fabrication of functional organic polymer-based materials by mineralization-inspired structural control techniques.

The ability to freely control the performance of ceramics through post-synthetic treatment would be a seed of innovation for various applications. Zeolites, a class of porous ceramics, have regular pores of molecular size and are used as catalysts, adsorbents, and ion exchangers. The control of zeolite composition and pore characteristics by post-synthetic treatments such as steaming has been known, but is still under development, including for target zeolites, more simple methods, achievement of uncharted properties, and so on. In this review, the concept of ‘pore-filler stabilization’ has been developed and utilized to achieve high performance in zeolites, which was previously thought to be impossible.

In tackling the sustainability challenges encountered in conventional hydrothermal synthesis, the microwave hydrothermal synthesis emerges as a promising approach, offering various advantages such as accelerated heating and energy efficiency owing to its unique volumetric heating property. This method presents a potential solution to the limitations inherent in conventional hydrothermal synthesis techniques. The synthesis of aluminum substituted tobermorite (Al-tobermorite) was conducted by using conventional and microwave hydrothermal methods, the experimental results were compared and the mechanism of microwave heating was revealed. Results show the optimal Al/Si ratio for synthesizing Al-tobermorite was identified as 0.15. Microwave hydrothermal synthesis of Al-tobermorite demonstrated a notable advantage in efficiency, requiring only about one-seventh of the time needed for conventional hydrothermal synthesis. At the same time, the Al-tobermorite produced via microwave hydrothermal synthesis exhibited a larger specific surface area and pore volume compared to its conventionally synthesized counterpart. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) spectroscopy results consistently indicate that in the structure of Al-tobermorite, regardless of the synthesis method, aluminum substitutes silicon at the Q² and Q³ positions. The findings can provide valuable insights for the efficient processing of materials containing aluminum and serve as a practical reference in applications and waste management, conforming to the contemporary policy requirements for sustainable development.

A cordierite-mullite saggar was prepared via high-temperature sintering with cordierite, mullite and alumina (α-Al₂O₃) and yellow dextrin as raw materials. The physical properties (i.e., density/porosity, linear shrinkage, ignition loss, bending strength and residual strength), thermal shock resistance and durability of the saggar in the synthesis of Li(Ni_0.5Co_0.2Mn_0.3)O₂ (LNCM) as a ternary cathode material were investigated. The results show that the cordierite-mullite saggar with 12.50 wt % α-Al₂O₃ addition prepared at 1420 °C has the optimum properties (i.e., the bending strength of 11.3 MPa, the residual strength of 8.6 MPa and the residual strength retention rate of 76 % after three cycles of thermal shocks) and a prolonged service life at 1000 °C and 4 h for 20 times. This is because the saggar is attacked by Li₂O to generate LiAlSiO₄ and LiAlO₂ with higher thermal expansion coefficients, and LiAlSiO₄ and LiAlO₂ fill the pores to compact the structure of the permeable layer in the high-temperature synthesis of LNCM. As a result, a protective layer decreases the likelihood of the reaction with coordinate and mullite to increase the durability of the saggar in the high-temperature synthesis of LNCM. However, as the time of erosion cycle further increases (i.e., >20 times), the thermal expansion mismatch between LiAlO₂/LiAlSiO₄ and cordierite/mullite can produce more cracks, declining the mechanical properties of saggar and thus damaging the saggar.

CeO₂-added Au films were drop-coated on a YSZ film fabricated on an alumina substrate embedded a Pt heater on the back side as sensing electrodes (SEs), and their toluene sensing properties were examined in dry air at elevated temperatures (400–600 °C). The suitable addition of polyvinyl alcohol in the precursor solution for drop-coating improved the roughness of the obtained film. The sensor using a 8 wt% CeO₂-added Au SE showed relatively larger toluene responses at higher temperatures (450–600 °C), and the toluene response of the sensor at 500 °C was the largest (ca. 167 mV to 50 ppm toluene) among all sensors in the whole temperature range. The toluene-sensing mechanism of the sensors was discussed on the basis of the mixed potential theory. In addition, we explained that the mixed potential appeared at the interface between SE and gas [SE(Au/CeO₂)/gas] in the SE layer as well as the interface on the YSZ (SE/YSZ/gas) in this study.

In the design of feldspar–kaolin–quartz system of porcelain clays, norm calculations based on the chemical composition of the raw materials are used to predict the degree of pyroplastic deformation by plotting the ratio of the three components onto an existing contour diagram. However, there is no method to quantify the degree of pyroplastic deformation of a porcelain body clay directly from norm calculations. This study presents a direct method for calculating pyroplastic deformation numbers (PDN) from norm calculation. Two methods of calculating PDN were considered: color map diagram reference and finite element analysis. A study of the relationship between the amount of firing deformation and PDN of the porcelain clay actually used in Mino ware showed a negative correlation. Correlation coefficients (CC) based on color map diagram references ranged from −0.62 to −0.66, and those based on finite element analysis ranged from −0.68 to −0.72. Feldspar as an ore is a solid solution of potash feldspar, soda feldspar, and lime feldspar, and its eutectic point varies with the proportion of minerals it is composed of. When corrected for the co-melting point of feldspar, the CC ranged from −0.69 to −0.74. Porcelain clay products were wet overground from 21 to 275 h to determine the relationship between particle size and fired deformation, with a CC of 0.81. Adding a correction for the particle size of the porcelain clay, the CC ranged from −0.70 to −0.78.

In this research, the coating of diamond-like carbon (DLC) doped with fluorine (F-DLC) on the cobalt chromium molybdenum (CoCrMo) substrate was carried out using the radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method. Then, the effect of F-DLC coating on the roughness, wettability and corrosion resistance of the CoCrMo substrate was investigated. Raman spectroscopy results showed that doping DLC coating with fluorine causes the formation of more graphite in the structure. According to the attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis, fluorine was present in the structure of F-DLC coating as C–F and C–F₂ groups. In addition, it was found that F-DLC coating has a rougher surface than DLC coating, and the water contact angle is higher in F-DLC coating due to CF and CF₂ bonds. Electrochemical measurements showed that the CoCrMo substrate’s corrosion resistance could be enhanced greatly through applying F-DLC coating.

Wollastonite is a natural ore of calcium silicate (β-CaSiO₃), which is used as a ceramic raw material. In this study, we prepared porous wollastonite ceramics by using American and Mexican wollastonite powders which contain different amounts of Mg as a trace component. We investigated sintering behavior and physical property of these porous ceramics. As a result, it was revealed that when wollastonite contains at least 0.5 mol % of Mg, phase transition temperature from β-CaSiO₃ to α-CaSiO₃ increased by about 50 °C. Additionally, temperature-dependent phase transition becomes more gradual. This would be due to a phenomenon of “phase transformation” that solid solution of Mg stabilizes β-CaSiO₃ during firing. Moreover, such transformation also affects bulk density, porosity and pore structure of porous wollastonite ceramics.

Flash events can cause rapid mass diffusion through instantaneous power spikes that occur in electric fields and at temperatures above certain thresholds. Recent research suggests that such mass diffusion caused by the flash event may include athermal effects in addition to Joule heating due to the power spikes. However, this perspective has not been applied to surface diffusion, one of the mass diffusion pathways. This study examines the athermal effect on surface diffusion during the flash event by analyzing the surface morphology variation of material uplift formed after the flash-/thermal-healing of Vickers-indentation-induced microcracks. The results show that the formation of surface facet structures, one of the material uplift surface morphologies, varies depending on the direction of the direct current (DC) electric field. The direction dependence of the facet structure formed on the material up-lifted surface due to the DC electric field is a result of the electric field drift effect. The athermal effects associated with flash events can be considered to exist also in mass diffusion involving surface diffusion.