CaCO3 templated micro-beads and -capsules for bioapplications

Porous CaCO3 vaterite microparticles have been introduced a decade ago as sacrificial cores and becoming nowadays as one of the most popular templates to encapsulate bioactive molecules. This is due to the following beneficial features: i) mild decomposition conditions, ii) highly developed surface area, and iii) controlled size as well as easy and chip preparation. Such properties allow one to template and design particles with well tuned material properties in terms of composition, structure, functionality - the parameters crucially important for bioapplications. This review presents a recent progress in utilizing the CaCO3 cores for the assembly of micrometer-sized beads and capsules with encapsulated both small drugs and large biomacromolecules. Bioapplications of all the particles for drug delivery, biotechnology, and biosensing as well as future perspectives for templating are addressed. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.