Projects per year
Abstract
Self-reproduction in compartmentalized chemical ensembles is a central issue for the development of new materials and processes capable of autonomous behavior, self-amplification and artificial evolution. Current approaches to synthetic cellularity focus primarily on self-assembled soft matter systems such as membrane-bounded lipid vesicles, which have sufficient structural plasticity to undergo growth and division. Steps towards inorganic protocells are being advanced, but self-reproduction in these more structurally robust micro-compartments has not been demonstrated. Here, a primitive form of growth and division involving inorganic colloidosomes (Pickering emulsions), comprising aqueous micro-droplets enclosed by an ultrathin membrane of silica nanoparticles, is shown. Growth of the colloidosomes is induced by organosilane-mediated methanol formation, and results in a localized rupture of the inorganic membrane followed by outgrowth and separation of a second-generation protocell, which is stabilized by de novo nanoparticle assembly. These observations provide a first step towards synthetic cell-like inorganic materials capable of chemically induced self-reproduction.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 3291-3298 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Small |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 16 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 27 Aug 2014 |
Keywords
- BIOINORGANIC PROTOCELLS
- ENZYME CATALYSIS
- GIANT VESICLES
- MINIMAL CELLS
- COMPETITION
- MEMBRANES
- SYSTEMS
- POLYMER
- DRIVEN
- MODELS
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Spontaneous Growth and Division in Self-Reproducing Inorganic Colloidosomes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
-
Protolife-inspired materials chemistry
Mann, S. (Principal Investigator)
23/06/14 → 22/06/17
Project: Research