{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T12:44:18Z","timestamp":1787921058721,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,4]],"date-time":"2024-03-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1709510400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Biomimetics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Pollen grains, with their resilient sporopollenin exine and defined morphologies, have been explored as bio-templates for the synthesis of calcium phosphate minerals, particularly hydroxyapatite (HAp) and \u03b2-tricalcium phosphate (TCP). Various pollen morphologies from different plant species (black alder, dandelion, lamb\u2019s quarters, ragweed, and stargazer lily) were evaluated. Pollen grains underwent acid washing to remove allergenic material and facilitate subsequent calcification. Ragweed and lamb\u2019s quarter pollen grains were chosen as templates for calcium phosphate salts deposition due to their distinct morphologies. The calcification process yielded well-defined spherical hollow particles. The washing step, intended to reduce the protein content, did not significantly affect the final product; thus, justifying the removal of this low-yield step from the synthesis process. Characterisation techniques, including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis, confirmed the successful calcification of pollen-derived materials, revealing that calcified grains were principally composed of calcium deficient HAp. After calcination, biphasic calcium phosphate composed of HAp and TPC was obtained. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using pollen grains as green and sustainable bio-templates for synthesizing biomaterials with controlled morphology, showcasing their potential in biomedical applications such as drug delivery and bone regeneration.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/biomimetics9030159","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,4]],"date-time":"2024-03-04T04:36:21Z","timestamp":1709526981000},"page":"159","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Sporopollenin Capsules as Biomimetic Templates for the Synthesis of Hydroxyapatite and \u03b2-TCP"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Arianna","family":"De Mori","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, St Michael\u2019s Building, White Swan Road, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-4742-7653","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniel","family":"Quizon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, St Michael\u2019s Building, White Swan Road, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hannah","family":"Dalton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, St Michael\u2019s Building, White Swan Road, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Berzah","family":"Yavuzyegit","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, St Michael\u2019s Building, White Swan Road, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, UK"},{"name":"Mechanical Engineering Department, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize 53100, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6685-3351","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Guido","family":"Cerri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning, GeoMaterials Laboratory, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5847-7886","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Milan","family":"Antonijevic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XP, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2242-7761","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marta","family":"Roldo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, St Michael\u2019s Building, White Swan Road, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101860","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apmt.2023.101860","article-title":"Sporopollenin-based bio-microcapsules as green carriers for controlled delivery of pharmaceutical drugs","volume":"33","author":"Aylanc","year":"2023","journal-title":"Appl. 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