Diatoms have an ability that is unique among the unicellular photoautotrophic organisms to synthesize an intricately ornamented siliceous (biosilica) exoskeleton with an ordered, hierarchical, three-dimensional structure on a micro- to nanoscale. The unique morphological, structural, mechanical, transport, photonic, and optoelectronic properties of diatomaceous biosilica make it a desirable material for modern technologies. This review presents a summary and discussion of published research on the metabolic insertion of chemical elements with specific functional activity into diatomaceous biosilica. Included in the review is research on innovation in methods of synthesis of a new generation of functional siliceous materials, where the synthesis process is “outsourced” to intelligent microorganisms, referred to here as microtechnologists, by providing them with appropriate conditions and reagents.

Diatoms represent, in terms of species number, one of the largest groups of microalgae that have the ability to synthesize phenomenal mineral composites characterized by complex hierarchical structures. Their shells, called frustules, create intricately ornamented structures, reminiscent of the most sophisticated, natural mosaics. Ordinated pore systems perforate siliceous walls of the frustules with diameters ranging from nano to micro-scale, forming openwork three-dimensional silica structures. The use of these features is one of the main challenges in developing new technological solutions. In this study we assess the ability of selected diatom species (Pseudostaurosira trainorii) for metabolic insertion of soluble titanium from the culture medium into the structure of amorphous silica cell walls by its cultivation in laboratory conditions. The study is aimed at obtaining new and strengthening the already existing optical properties of diatomaceous biosilica. The physicochemical properties of the obtained materials have been studied using a series of instrumental methods.

Currently, scientists are still looking for new polymeric materials characterized by improved mechanical, thermal as well as dielectric properties. Moreover, it should be stressed that new composites should be environmentally friendly. For this reason, the aim of this work is to establish the influence of natural fillers in the form of diatomaceous biosilica (B) and talc (T) on the properties of dielectric elastomer (DE)-based composites. The dielectric elastomer-based materials have been tested taking into account their morphology, thermal and mechanical properties. Moreover, the dielectric constant of the obtained materials was evaluated. Obtained results revealed that the presence of both diatomaceous biosilica and talc significantly increases dielectric properties while having no significant effect on the mechanical properties of the obtained composites. It should be stressed that the performed analyses constitute a valuable source of knowledge on the effective modification of the thermal and dielectric properties of newly obtained materials.

Modern technology's development is also towards using microorganisms as micro-factories of biomaterials with unique properties and combining the original properties of biosilica extracted from diatoms (microalgae) together with immobilised silver and cerium in nanoparticle forms allowed to obtain a modern composite material with antibacterial activity. The synthesised composites containing heteroepitaxially growing Ag/AgCl/CeO₂ complex nanoparticles were studied using different types of instrumental analysis. SEM-EDX and XRD analysis allowed the qualitative and quantitative determination of the elements present and their forms in the composites. TEM permitted analysis of information about the created nanoparticles shape, size and structure specificity. The possible mechanism of nanoparticle formation was suggested. Antibacterial properties of synthesised composites were characterised using a minimum inhibitory concentration test on six selected bacterial strains. Diatomaceous biosilica containing heteroepitaxially growing silver chloride, metallic silver, and cerium (IV) oxide nanoparticles have been prepared for the first time. The proposed method for synthesising composites did not use toxic reagents, making it environmentally friendly. Graphical Abstract