Diatom structures templated by phase-separated fluids

An experimentally motivated model is proposed for the formation of fluid-phase templates corresponding to the porous silica skeletons of diatoms, single-cell organisms found in marine and freshwater environments. It is shown that phase-separation processes on a planar surface may give rise to a quasi-static mold that could direct the deposition of condensing silica to form complex arrays of pores. Calculations show that appropriate fluid templates can be generated for a wide variety of diatom species. The results could be of some biological relevance, but the most significant advance may be the identification of a synthetic strategy for generating complex porous architectures from simple, amorphous materials.