DIATOMS
Text written by Assoc. prof. Ivana Jelovica Badovinac, Ph.D.
Diatoms are microscopically small, single-celled algae that are found in freshwater and seawater in all climate zones of the world. Their cell wall consists of silicon dioxide and they are specific because of their structure, which resembles a box, and each species has a characteristic shape and texture of the wall.
Diatoms are of great importance to the environment for several reasons:
- Photosynthesis: these microscopic single-celled creatures use sunlight to produce food and oxygen to support the entire ecosystem.
- Food for other organisms: In the oceans, diatoms serve as an important source of food and energy for other organisms.
- Biological indicators: Diatoms are important biological indicators of water quality. Their presence and composition in aquatic ecosystems help to assess the ecological status of the habitat. Changes in diatom populations can indicate pollution, climate change, etc.
- Paleoclimatology: Diatoms leave traces in sediments and rocks. Their fossils can be used to reconstruct climate changes in the course of the Earth’s history. Analyzing the remains of diatoms allows us to better understand climatic conditions in the past.
Diatoms are fascinating organisms that have attracted a great deal of attention from scientists in the field of biomimetics, among others:
- Diatoms have complex nanostructures of their shells. These structures have inspired the development of materials with fine pores that can be used in filtration, sensors and other areas. (nanostructured materials)
- Diatoms contain chlorophyll and other pigments that absorb light. This property inspired the development of photocatalytic materials. These materials use sunlight to break down pollutants in the environment. (photocatalytic materials)
- Diatoms have inspired the development of microfluidic devices. Their unique fine pore structure can be used to precisely control fluids on a microscopic level. These devices are used, for example, in medicine. (Microfluidics)
- The symmetrical and precise structures of diatoms serve as inspiration for material design in art and architecture. (Material design)
In short, diatoms are a source of inspiration for the development of new materials, devices and technologies. Their unique properties and structure open up opportunities for innovation in various fields.
This picture shows SEM images of diatoms taken in the Laboratory for Scanning Electron Microscopy, joint laboratory of the Faculty of Physics and the Center for Micro- and Nanosciences and Technologies for the purposes of the HRZZ project “Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) microbiome: insight into endozoic and epizoic communities (TurtleBIOME)” led by Sunčica Bosak from the Department of Biology at the PMF, Zagreb. The authors of the SEM images are Assoc. prof. Ivana Jelovica Badovinac and Assist. prof. Ivna Kavre Piltaver. The background image was created with the help of AI (Copilot).
Assoc. prof. Ivana Jelovica Badovinac, Ph.D. works at the Faculty of Physics and the Center for Micro- and Nanosciences and Technologies and deals with the characterization of materials. Recently, she has been mainly involved in SEM and EDS analysis of sample surfaces from various scientific fields.