Chitin mineralization.

The polysaccharide chitin is found in nature as a major component of the organic fraction of several biocomposites in which an organic matrix is associated with an inorganic fraction. The relationship between the mineral phase and the organic phase implies a high level of molecular recognition. Chitin in mineralized biological systems is present in different polymorphs and has a crucial role in the hierarchical control of the biomineralization processes; the nacre of the mollusk shell is a representative example. Biologically inspired synthesis has been used for the production of mineral-chitin composites. Their actual and future applications move from the medical field as bone repair (chitin-calcium phosphate composites) to the industrial field as catalyst (silica chitin structure replica).