Biosilica from diatoms microalgae: smart materials from bio-medicine to photonics

Diatoms microalgae can be regarded as living factories producing nanostructured and mesoporous biosilica shells (frustules) having a highly ordered hierarchical architecture. These unique, morphological, chemical and mechanical properties make diatoms’ biosilica a very attractive nanomaterial for a wide variety of applications. Methods of purification of frustules that preserve their nanostructured morphology have been set up as well as in vivo or in vitro chemical modification protocols of the biosilica with functional molecules to generate biohybrid active materials for photonics, sensing, drug delivery and electronics. Herein we describe, with some selected examples, the great variety of applications envisaged for native and modified frustules, highlighting the material scientists’ benefit to avail of nature in the construction of highly ordered biohybrid architectures for nanotechnology. New concepts for the biotechnological production of nanomaterials are opened by the use of diatoms as living factories.