Extreme biomimetic approach for developing novel chitin-GeO₂ nanocomposites with photoluminescent properties

This work presents an extreme biomimetics route for the creation of nanostructured biocomposites utilizing a chitinous template of poriferan origin. The specific thermal stability of the nanostructured chitinous template allowed for the formation under hydrothermal conditions of a novel germanium oxide-chitin composite with a defined nanoscale structure. Using a variety of analytical techniques (FTIR, Raman, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, EDS-mapping, selected area for the electron diffraction pattern (SAEDP), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)), we showed that this bioorganic scaffold induces the growth of GeO₂ nanocrystals with a narrow (150–300 nm) size distribution and predominantly hexagonal phase, demonstrating the chitin template's control over the crystal morphology. The formed GeO₂–chitin composite showed several specific physical properties, such as a striking enhancement in photoluminescence exceeding values previously reported in GeO₂-based biomaterials. These data demonstrate the potential of extreme biomimetics for developing new-generation nanostructured materials.