Ice Shaping Properties, Similar to That of Antifreeze Proteins, of a Zirconium Acetate Complex

The control of the growth morphologies of ice crystals is a critical issue in fields as diverse as biomineralization, medicine, biology, civil or food engineering. Such control can be achieved through the ice-shaping properties of specific compounds. The development of synthetic ice-shaping compounds is inspired by the natural occurrence of such properties exhibited by antifreeze proteins. We reveal how a particular zirconium acetate complex is exhibiting ice-shaping properties very similar to that of antifreeze proteins, albeit being a radically different compound. We use these properties as a bioinspired approach to template unique faceted pores in cellular materials. These results suggest that ice-structuring properties are not exclusive to long organic molecules and should broaden the field of investigations and applications of such substances.调控冰晶的生长形貌，是生物矿化（biomineralization）、医学、生物学、土木及食品工程等诸多领域的关键课题。借助特定化合物的冰晶塑形特性，即可实现此类调控。合成冰晶塑形化合物的研发思路，源于抗冻蛋白（antifreeze proteins）天然具备的此类特性。本研究发现，一种特定的醋酸锆配合物，尽管与抗冻蛋白类化合物差异显著，却展现出与抗冻蛋白极为相似的冰晶塑形特性。我们以此特性为仿生手段，在胞状材料（cellular materials）中制备出独特的刻面孔隙。上述结果表明，冰晶结构化特性并非长链有机分子的专属属性，这将拓宽此类物质的研究与应用范畴。