Skeletons of Glass Sponges as a Substrate for Creating Functional Composite Organosilicon Materials

The article describes a method of creating a three-dimensional organosilicon composite material based on the glass sponge spicules through a combination of soft etching and controlled mechanical action, non-destroying spicules. When in an alkaline medium, the material of the spicules’ outer concentric layers is dissolved and silica passes into solution. After 20 to 30 days in alkaline medium, the silica is in excess and precipitates on organic components, forming a network of 300–500-nm thick organosilicon trabeculae, by which the spicules are fused into a single structure. The resulting composite material contains a mineral component of silica and an organic component. The results indicate that the natural organosilicon material can be reformed as a result of self-assembly into three-dimensional or flat structures.