New Insights into Sponge Spicules Biosilicification by Solid-State NMR and Dynamic Nuclear Polarization

This work gives new insights into the characterization of siliceous sponge spicules with the help of solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP). Sponges, one of the most primitive animals are exclusively aquatic sessile organisms. In the case of marine siliceous sponges, an internal skeleton composed of spicules serves as to stiffen the soft sponge body, helping the species for protection and anchoring. The siliceous spicules, formed during a biomineralization process, are not purely mineral structures but rather biocomposites of silica and organics[1] from whom the interfaces study is promising.