Biomimetic nanosystems and novel composite nanobiomaterials

Biophysicochemical approaches to the solution of nanotechnology problems associated with the design of functional biomimetic nanosystems, hybrid and composite nanobiomaterials and study of their structure-function relationships. The results of studies concerned with physicochemical mechanisms of the formation of organized biomimetic nanostructures and bioinorganic nanomaterials in systems involving a bulky liquid phase and the interface (gas-liquid, solid-liquid, liquid-liquid)during the synthesis and structure formation with the participation of the components of colloid systems, inorganic nanoparticles of various composition and clusters of metals, surfactants, polyelectrolytes and their complexes are discussed. In the development of the methods for the formation of composite bioinorganic nanosystems containing inorganic nanocomponents, two major approaches were used: adsorption and incorporation into the biomolecular matrix or colloid system of presynthesized inorganic nanoparticles, as well as the synthesis of the inorganic nanophase immediately in the biomolecular system. The methods of obtaining biomaterials and nanosystems are based on the principles of biomimetics, biomineralization, self-assembly and self-organization, combination and integration of a number of synthetic and physicochemical methods (physical and chemical adsorption, Langmuir technique, the formation of polycomplexes, chemical linking, competitive interactions, and substitution of ligands in supramolecular and coordination complexes) and nanocomponents of different nature. In particular, a novel approach to the preparation of highly organized nanofilm materials was developed, which is based on the effect of self-assembly and self-organization of colloid nanoparticles during the formation of their complexes with polyfunctional biogenic ligands in the volume of the liquid phase in the absence of any surfaces and interfaces. The physical and chemical factors responsible for the formation of structurally ordered biomolecular and composite nanosystems including nano-sized components of different nature and the possibilities to control the composition, structure, and properties of resulting nanomaterials and nanosystems are discussed. The experimental methods and approaches developed may be useful in studies of structure-property relationships and basic mechanisms of structural organization and transformation at the nanoscales level in biological, artificial, and hybrid nanosystems. The problems of practical application of the synthetic methods and the corresponding nanomaterials are discussed. © 2011 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.