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The deposition of silica by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatom diatoms] may also prove to be of utility to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology nanotechnology]. Diatom cells repeatedly and reliably manufacture valves of various shapes and sizes, potentially allowing diatoms to manufacture micro- or nano-scale structures which may be of use in a range of devices, including: optical systems; semiconductor nanolithography; and even vehicles for drug delivery. With an appropriate [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_selection artificial selection procedure], diatoms that produce valves of particular shapes and sizes might be evolved for cultivation in chemostat cultures to mass-produce nanoscale components. It has also been proposed that diatoms could be used as a component of solar cells by substituting photosensitive [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_dioxide titanium dioxide] for the silicon dioxide that diatoms normally use to create their cell walls. Diatom [[biofuel]] producing solar panels have also been proposed.

==Possible Applications==
* Diatom biophotonics
* [[Microfluidics]] within diatoms
* biosensing
* for drug delivery
* molecular separation / filtration
* electronics / computing with diatoms

==Advantages==
* Cheap and abundant
* Can be easily grown artificially
* Can be extracted easily through simple separation processes

==Links==
* Prezi: [https://prezi.com/vdcjg8soda_a/diatoms-in-nanotechnology/ "Diatoms in Nanotechnology"]
* Trends in Biotechnology: "The Glass Menagerie: Diatoms for novel applications in nanotechnology"
* paper in Trends in Analytical Chemistry: [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165993611002032 "Applications of diatoms and silica nanotechnology in biosensing, drug and gene delivery, and formation of complex metal nanostructures"]

[[Category:Materials]]

Diatom Nanotechnology - Revision history

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