ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the state of the art of the application of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in biomineralization research with the focus on emerging approaches. The organic composition of biominerals is very diverse, with biomacromolecules, such as proteins and polysaccharides comprising the major fraction of the organic matrix. Biominerals became a source of inspiration for the development of materials and structures with highly controllable and specialized properties. The studies of the biomineralization processes rely on characterization techniques that can provide information on the protein–mineral interactions at atomic and molecular levels, that is, at nanometer and angstrom scales. Cryo-Electron tomography in combination with electron diffraction showed that the expression of the vaterite face preceded the development of the single crystalline character of the vaterite particles. TEM imaging on cryo-sections showed the detailed structure of globules having a laminated arrangement composed of high electron-dense concentric rings with a low-dense material separating them.
