This paper is dedicated to the honorary memory of the late Prof. Helmut Cölfen (University of Konstanz, University of Konstanz, Germany) a brilliant scientist and inspiring mentor whose legacy continues to shape the field of biomineralization. May his memory be blessed.

We are thrilled about the publication of our latest paper, “The Effect of Amino Acids on the Formation of Amorphous Calcium Carbonate Nanoparticles”!
Using synchrotron-based in situ SAXS at ESRF – The European Synchrotron – The European Synchrotron (beamline ID02) with an exceptional 10 ms time resolution, we reveal how even small, monomeric amino acids (such as aspartic acid, serine, and valine) regulate the growth kinetics of magnesium-stabilized amorphous calcium carbonate (Mg-ACC) nanoparticles.
We show that amino acids narrow the nanoparticle size distribution by adsorbing at the particle–water interface and selectively slowing the growth of older particles, thereby maintaining uniformity even under fluctuating pH conditions.
These results provide new insight into how biomineralizing organisms may preserve particle-attachment-based mineralization under environmental stress such as ocean acidification
This work was carried out at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology – Israel Institute of Technology, in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering -Technion of Materials Science and Engineering, in collaboration with ESRF – The European Synchrotron – The European Synchrotron, beamline ID02.
The research was led in my lab by my former Postdoc Lucas Kuhrts and former PhD student Hadar Shaked.
Congratulations to all co-authors:
Lucas Kuhrts, Hadar Shaked, Johanna Sklar, Almog Sulam Korovin, Iryna Polishchuk, Elena Prudnikov, Dr. Gouranga Manna, Michael Sztucki, Sylvain Prévost (ILL – Institut Laue Langevin), and Alex Katsman!

 

SafeWax is the outcome of over a decade of research in our lab on bioinspired superhydrophobic wax coatings. SafeWax specifically is based on natural fatty acids, it is a multifunctional coating that renders plants superhydrophobicity providing passive protection against fungal infections, while simultaneously shielding crops from UV radiation and low humidity. Find out more in an open-access Small publication! Congratulations to all the authors!

The paper by Daniela Dobrynin, our PhD student, has been published in Small and was chosen to be featured as a cover image. This is the outcome of a fruitful collaboration with Prof. Alejandro Sosnik and the coauthors are Dr. Ivan Zlotver, Dr. Iryna Polishchuk, Dr. Yaron Kauffmann, Sharon Suharenko, Ron Koifman, Dr. Lucas Kuhrts, and Dr. Alex Katsman all from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Coing

Leading the SafeWax project is both a responsibility and a privilege. It was truly exciting to meet all the SafeWax partners and discuss the project’s progress in Bologna. Together, we were fortunate to participate in the field trials at the University of Bologna (Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna) experimental fields and see SafeWax in action. This lab-to-field transition marks a significant milestone as SafeWax. The experiments are ongoing, and we are now testing the long-term efficacy of SafeWax on grapevines. Many thanks to the University of Bologna (Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna) team for their dedication and excellent organization in making these trials possible!

Congratulations to our PhD student ,Daniela Dobrynin, for her excellent talk at the ongoing in E-MRS 2025 in Strasbourg, France!

Our recent paper on bioinspired “writing crystallography” in Advanced Functional Materials has been featured in the ESRF News! Watch the science in action: https://youtube.com/shorts/voEFSFJJnt0…   

Warm congratulations to the 2024 graduates!  51 graduates across four study tracks, and 5 of them are continuing with us as researchers. Good luck!

 

A proud moment from the Spring 2025 Final-Year Project Poster Session! Best Poster Award and 2nd Place Prize awarded to undergraduate project students from our lab! Huge congratulations to young researchers Ariel Lizmi and Lana Furman, mentored by our Phd student Daniela Dobrynin, as well as Maya Alon and Noy Hindin mentored by PhD student Niv Ben-Arie!

Best Poster Award and 2nd Place Prize awarded to undergraduate project students from our lab! Huge congratulations to young researchers and their mentors!

Four posters and two talks! Our students presented their research on bio-inspired functional materials. A special moment was the talk by Dr. Arad Lang, our former PhD student and now a postdoc at Cambridge Uni, who shared his groundbreaking work. Proud of the whole team!

 

Yasmin Soltsman, our first graduate from the prestigious “Gvishim” Master’s program, delivered an exceptional seminar. A year of hard work and dedication pays off—congratulations, Yasmin!