Rheological studies of diatom encapsulation in silica gel

The mutual influence of the mineral and biological components of a specific bio-hybrid system consisting of diatom cells entrapped in a silica gel was studied by rheological methods. Small amplitude shear stress oscillatory measurements indicate that the culture medium alone has a strong impact on t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of sol-gel science and technology 2009-05, Vol.50 (2), p.164-169
Main Authors: Gautier, Clémentine, Ponton, Alain, Livage, Jacques, Lopez, Pascal J., Coradin, Thibaud
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological activity
Biological evolution
Ceramics
Chemical Sciences
Chemistry
Chemistry and Materials Science
Colloidal gels. Colloidal sols
Colloidal state and disperse state
Composites
Compression tests
Elasticity
Encapsulation
Exact sciences and technology
General and physical chemistry
Glass
Hybrid systems
Inorganic Chemistry
Materials Science
Mechanical properties
Nanotechnology
Natural Materials
Network formation
Optical and Electronic Materials
Optimization
Plankton
Rheological properties
Rheology
Shear stress
Silica gel
Silicon dioxide
Sol-gel processes
Special Edition: Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Professor David Avnir
Viscoelasticity
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Summary:The mutual influence of the mineral and biological components of a specific bio-hybrid system consisting of diatom cells entrapped in a silica gel was studied by rheological methods. Small amplitude shear stress oscillatory measurements indicate that the culture medium alone has a strong impact on the silica network formation and viscoelastic properties. In contrast, the presence of diatoms does not significantly perturb the sol–gel process, and leads to a moderate change in the gel elasticity. Compression tests show that a large difference exists between the mechanical properties of silica gels and diatom shells, suggesting a limited impact of the gel strength on the diatom survival rate. We also show that the biological activity of entrapped diatoms can modify the structural evolution of the silica gel. This work indicates that rheological methods may be important tools for the optimization of whole cells encapsulation procedures and further confirms that encapsulated diatoms are able to interact with the surrounding silica materials.
ISSN:0928-0707
1573-4846
DOI:10.1007/s10971-008-1884-z