Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
In recent years, several research groups have pursued biomimetic or bio-inspired techniques for the synthesis of ceramic thin films from aqueous solutions at low temperatures. The substrates range from inorganic materials (metals, glass, single-crystal silicon) without special surface preparation, to functionalized organic surfaces such as self-assembled organic monolayers (SAMs). Our results on the deposition of tin (IV) oxide (SnO2, cassiterite) and hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) thin films on SAMs will be reviewed. The former system forms films via assembly of nano-scale particles on the substrate, while the latter system appears to form films via heterogeneous nucleation. In both cases, the role of the substrate in film formation is discussed.