Materials and methods are provided for producing cell-surface directed, non-naturally occurring, bioinorganic membranes for association with the cell surfaces of living cells. The methods comprise exposing a cell to an acidic biomineralization buffer environment for cell-mediated deposition of the biomineral membrane onto the surface of the cell. The methods also comprise attaching a peptide, having a net positive charge under the acidic conditions, to the cell surface for serving as a template in directing the cell-mediated deposition of the biomineral membrane onto the surface of the cell.
