Diatom microalgae produce amazingly ornate nanostructured silica shells with symmetrical and hierarchical porosity that have potential applications in materials science and nanotechnology.

Gianluca M. Farinola, University of Bari, Italy, and colleagues functionalized the biosilica from Thalassiosira weissflogii diatoms with the radical scavanger 2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (TEMPO). They then studied the material as a drug delivery vehicle for Ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic widely used to treat infections associated with orthopedic and dental implants. The TEMPO-modified biosilica displays antioxidant properties, prevents inflammation, and is a suitable substrate for bone cell growth.

• Chemically Modified Diatoms Biosilica for Bone Cell Growth with Combined Drug-Delivery and Antioxidant Properties,
  Stefania R. Cicco, Danilo Vona, Elvira De Giglio, Stefania Cometa, Monica Mattioli-Belmonte, Fabio Palumbo, Roberta Ragni, Gianluca M. Farinola,
  ChemPlusChem 2015.
  DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201402398

This article is part of the Early Career Series in ChemPlusChem.