Bandgap engineering of zinc oxide semiconductors can be achieved using a bio-inspired method. During a bioInspired crystallization process, incorporation of amino acids into the crystal structure of ZnO induces lattice strain that leads to linear bandgap shifts. This allows for fine tuning of the bandgap in a bio-inspired route.

The presence of intracrystalline molecules has been shown to produce strains in synthetic ZnO crystals and alter the microstructure. These structural distinctions are accompanied by alteration of the band-gap of the semiconductor host.

Assemblies of nano crystals with complex morphologies have solicited great scientific interest. Controlling the formation of these self-assembled structures has proved difficult. Here we present a novel transformation reaction for transforming a single crystal of minerals into assemblies of nanocrystals of substances with lower solubility without changing the overall morphology. This study focusses on the transformation of rhombohedral calcite crystals to assemblies of hydroxyapatite nanoscrystals (HAP) using poly-(N-isopropyl-acrylamide)-block- Corresponding Author