Biomimetic synthesis of mesoporous zinc phosphate nanoparticles

Self-assembled biomolecular structures on microbial cells are particularly attractive, due to their versatile chemistry, molecular recognition properties, and biocompatibility. Their ability to work as templates for the fabrication of mesoporous nanocomposite has already been demonstrated. Here, we report on the preparation of zinc phosphate crystals with mesoporous structure by chemical precipitation using yeasts as a template. The technique, which combines biomineralization technology and crystals assembly on biomacromolecules, can be applied in a wide variety of fields.