EN
Chitin originating from marine sponges possesses
a unique nanofibrillar network structure that is the basic
element of the microtubular scaffold-like skeleton of
these organisms. Sponge chitin represents an intriguing
example of thermostability, as it is stable up to 400 °C. It
also constitutes a renewable biological source due to the
high regeneration ability of Aplysina sponges under marine
farming conditions. These properties can be exploited for
the facile and environmentally friendly creation of novel,
biocompatible organic-inorganic hybrid materials with a range of uses. Here, chitin-based scaffolds isolated from
the skeleton of marine demosponge Aplysina aerophoba
were used as a template for the in vitro formation of iron
oxide from a saturated iron(III) chloride solution, under
hydrothermal conditions (pH~1.5, 90 °C). The resultant
chitin-Fe2O3 three dimensional composites, prepared
for the first time via hydrothermal synthesis route, were
thoroughly characterized using light, fluorescence and
scanning electron microscopy; as well as with analytical
methods like Raman spectroscopy, electron diffraction and
HR-TEM. The results show that this versatile method allows
for efficient chitin mineralization with respect to hematite.
Additionally, we demonstrate that chitin nanofibers
template the nucleation of uniform Fe2O3 nanocrystals.