Abstract Biomineralization, the process by which biological systems direct the synthesis of inorganic structures from organic templates, is an exquisite example of nanomaterial self-assembly in nature. Its products include the shells of mollusks and the bones and teeth of vertebrates. By comparison, conventional inorganic synthesis techniques provide limited control over inorganic nanomaterial architecture. Inspired by biomineralization in nature, over the last two decades, the field of biotemplating has emerged as a new paradigm for inorganic nanomaterial assembly, wherein researchers seek to design novel nano-structures in which inorganic nanomaterial synthesis is directed from an underlying biomolecular template. Here, we review the motivation, mechanistic understanding, progress, and challenges for the field of biotemplating. We highlight the interdisciplinary nature of this field, and survey a broad range of examples of bio-templated engineering: ranging from strategies that exploit the inherent capabilities of proteins in nature, to genetically-engineered systems that unlock new capabilities for self-assembly with biomolecules. We illustrate that the use of biological materials as templates for inorganic self-assembly holds tremendous potential for nanomaterial engineering, with applications that range from electronics and energy to medicine.

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无机材料的生物模板合成：受自然启发的纳米材料合成的新兴范式

摘要 生物矿化是生物系统指导从有机模板合成无机结构的过程，是自然界中纳米材料自组装的一个很好的例子。其产品包括软体动物的壳和脊椎动物的骨骼和牙齿。相比之下，传统的无机合成技术对无机纳米材料结构的控制有限。受自然界生物矿化的启发，在过去的二十年中，生物模板领域已成为无机纳米材料组装的新范式，研究人员寻求设计新颖的纳米结构，其中无机纳米材料的合成是由潜在的生物分子模板引导的。在这里，我们回顾了生物模板领域的动机、机制理解、进展和挑战。我们强调了该领域的跨学科性质，并调查了广泛的生物模板工程示例：从利用自然界蛋白质固有能力的策略，到解锁生物分子自组装新能力的基因工程系统. 我们说明使用生物材料作为无机自组装模板在纳米材料工程方面具有巨大的潜力，其应用范围从电子、能源到医学。