Speaker
Description
Diatom frustules are porous bio-derived silica microstructures with potential as active micro/nanosystems. However, their insulating nature prevents direct electrodeposition, limiting their functionalization with magnetic materials. Here, we introduce a conductive platform to enable iron electrodeposition onto frustules while preserving their native porosity. Polycarbonate membranes were first sputter-coated with a 100 nm Au layer, followed by frustule filtration and a second 20 nm Au coating to ensure electrical continuity. This configuration enabled conformal iron coating on the frustule surface. Optimized deposition conditions produced magnetic frustules while maintaining their hierarchical porous architecture, opening opportunities for magnetically driven microsystems, sensing, and catalytic applications.
