There is a large sea snail called a Chiton which has a converyor belt-like arrangement of teeth. These teeth are extremely hard so that they can grind away at rocks. They are made out of the hardest-known biomineral called magnetite (yes it is magnetic). Since they do wear down they are constantly grown and replaced.
The material is made through this process:
"Hydrated iron-oxide (ferrihydrite) crystals first nucleate on a fiber-like chitinous (complex sugar) organic template. These nanocrystalline ferrihydrite particles convert to a magnetic iron oxide (magnetite) through a solid-state transformation."
This process can take place at room temperature and in "benign" environmental conditions" which is good since that means less energy is put into the process in the beginning. Reduce the heat needed to form nano-crystals, and you reduce the energy as well as the cost.
This could be used to grow minerals used in lithium-ion batteries and in solar cells. Also, the growing process used by the chiton could be used to improve a battery's energy storage and recharging rates. As for solar cells it could make it more efficient at capturing sunlight.
SOURCE
The material is made through this process:
"Hydrated iron-oxide (ferrihydrite) crystals first nucleate on a fiber-like chitinous (complex sugar) organic template. These nanocrystalline ferrihydrite particles convert to a magnetic iron oxide (magnetite) through a solid-state transformation."
This process can take place at room temperature and in "benign" environmental conditions" which is good since that means less energy is put into the process in the beginning. Reduce the heat needed to form nano-crystals, and you reduce the energy as well as the cost.
This could be used to grow minerals used in lithium-ion batteries and in solar cells. Also, the growing process used by the chiton could be used to improve a battery's energy storage and recharging rates. As for solar cells it could make it more efficient at capturing sunlight.
SOURCE
