Thermal annealing activates amplified photoluminescence of germanium metabolically doped in diatom biosilica: Germanium doped in diatom (a single celled algae) biosilica creates highly photoluminescent frustules which are uniquely patterned on the nano- and micro-scale. Using diatoms to make photoluminescent Ge doped silica instead of industrial production methods has several advantages. The structures are made biologically avoiding the extremes of temperature, pressure, power and the need for sophisticated equipment. The team behind the research say that biologically fabricated photoluminescent nanostructured silicon and germanium metal oxide materials have comparable optoelectronic and chemical properties to industrially fabricated Si–Ge metal oxide materials. (J. Mater. Chem., 2011, DOI:10.1039/C1JM10861A, Advance Article)
