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Nano-sized Organization in Nature
Published in Paula V. Messina, Luciano A. Benedini, Damián Placente, Tomorrow’s Healthcare by Nano-sized Approaches, 2020
Paula V. Messina, Luciano A. Benedini, Damián Placente
Nowadays, biomimetic materials research (sometimes also signaled as material bionics or bio-inspired materials exploration) has begun to progress enthusiastically. One of the reasons is the conception of nanomedicine, the convergence between modern nanotechnology and medicine. Such field, which applies the nanoscale principles and techniques to understand and transform biosystems (living or non-living) and which uses biological principles and materials to create new medical devices and systems integrated from the nanoscale, has expanded and is expected to have a revolutionary impact on healthcare. Biomimetic materials research generates numerous opportunities for devising new strategies to build multifunctional materials for the clever use of interfaces and the development of active or self-healing materials. Interdisciplinary teams developed a portfolio of bio-inspired processes for obtaining new function by structuring and assembling of known elements.
Synthesis and Characterization of Nanocomposites of Animal Origin
Published in Satya Eswari Jujjavarapu, Krishna Mohan Poluri, Green Polymeric Nanocomposites, 2020
Sweta Naik, Anita Tirkey, Satya Eswari Jujjavarapu
Bionanocomposites belong to an evolving class of bio-inorganic nanostructured hybrid materials arising from the assembly of polymeric species of biological origin to inorganic substrates through nanometric-scale interactions (Hood, Mari, & Muñoz-Espí, 2014). Bionanocomposites naturally produced by living organisms show a significant hierarchical arrangement of organic and inorganic constituents from nanoscale to the macroscopic scale (Jeevanandam, Barhoum, Chan, Dufresne, & Danquah, 2018). Researchers have developed different types of biomimetic materials based upon the physical and chemical characteristics of bionanocomposites (F. Zhao et al., 2015). For example, hydroxyapatite-based synthetic materials and biopolymers such as gelatine and collagen are typical biomimetic materials that have been widely researched, particularly because they are of interest in tissue engineering (Saveleva et al., 2019). Recently, silicates from the mineral family of clay, and other inorganic solids such as layered perovskites, carbonaceous solids, and layered double hydroxides, have been explored in terms of the assembly of various biopolymers.
Biological Engineering Solutions
Published in Arthur T. Johnson, Biology for Engineers, 2019
Biomimetics has been the inspiration for new materials because materials in living systems are remarkably strong, lightweight, and effective (Andrade, 2000). Proteins in spider silk are being copied for their strength. Composite materials that can serve several functions simultaneously were inspired by materials in living things. A synthetic material that seals tiny cracks that develop within it was inspired by the way wounds heal (Sparks, 2002). The plastic material relies on a healing agent embedded in tiny spheres distributed throughout, and a hardening catalyst present in the plastic. When cracks develop, they release the healing agent, which hardens when it contacts the catalyst (Figure 8.2.6). Besides encapsulating repair materials in microcapsules, vascular capillaries can be incorporated in the material to deliver healing agents to the required location. Other techniques used are integrating the healing agents directly in the object and using microcapsuled bacteria to fabricate repair materials on the spot (Grose, 2014). Concrete may be made to self-heal by including in the concrete encapsulated bacteria and starch. When a crack appears and breaks the capsules, water reaches the bacteria, which eat the starch and excrete calcium carbonate. This seals the crack (Petroski, 2016).
Functionalized acellular periosteum guides stem cell homing to promote bone defect repair
Published in Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition, 2023
Guoqing Zhu, Yidi Zhou, Yichang Xu, Lingjun Wang, Meng Han, Kun Xi, Jincheng Tang, Ziang Li, Yu Kou, Xindie Zhou, Yu Feng, Yong Gu, Liang Chen
Although the periosteum is a thin connective tissue membrane, it plays a vital role in bone tissue. The outer layer of the structure is dense, which can provide a supportive function; the inner layer is loose, which is conducive to the adhesion and growth of cells. When bone damage, such as trauma, occurs osteoprogenitor cells and osteogenic stem cells contained in the periosteum can rapidly mobilize and differentiate to repair the damaged area [16]. The periosteum can also act as a bridge to induce bone healing. Artificial biomimetic materials are used to simulate the structure and function of tissues in the human body to promote repair. Hence, the natural double-layer structure of the periosteum is advantageous compared with other artificial biomimetic materials. Additionally, there are immune-related problems to be considered regarding the feasibility of native periosteum use; nonetheless, tissue decellularization solves this problem. Tissue decellularization is designed to remove nearly all cellular components that may contribute to immunogenicity while preserving native ultrastructural and extracellular components [9].
Biomimetic materials based on zwitterionic polymers toward human-friendly medical devices
Published in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, 2022
Advances in materials science based on biomimetic concepts will contribute significantly to the development of new materials and the creation of new devices. Research and applications of morphological biomimetics and chemical mimetics are advancing at a fast pace. In addition, clarifying the expression of specific functions of living organisms from the viewpoint of molecular structure and reproducing them in artificial systems can be considered one of the major sciences in the creation of functional materials. In biological systems where various molecular reactions occur in a complex manner, there is a strong need to construct biointerfaces that are compatible at the interface of the biological system, rather than using a single material. Polymers that can modify the surface of the base material at the nanometer scale with excellent morphogenetic mechanical properties play an essential role in the development of medical devices. This will not only reduce damage to the biological tissues of in vivo medical devices for an extended period, but will also lead to sustained therapeutic effects and improved quality of life for patients. Furthermore, materials that are compatible with the living body can be considered consistent with the ecosystem and have the potential to provide a means to solve future environmental and energy-related equipment issues. Thus, it is reasonable to apply the biomimetic concept to material design.
Interface stress effect tuning and enhancing the energy dissipation of staggered nanocomposites
Published in Philosophical Magazine, 2020
Cezhou Chao, Peng Yan, Zhiyuan Lu, Leiting Dong
Biological materials, like bone, tendon, and shell, are always regarded as nanocomposites with staggered structures since the thickness of embedded platelets can be as small as several nanometers. The aspect ratios of bone and nacre were observed to be 25–45 [46–50] and 8–16 [51] via experiment, respectively. The aspect ratio of natural evolution is consistent with the optimal aspect ratio derived in the present study, verified in section 5.1. Furthermore, the loading frequency varies from several hertz to several hundred hertz in reality [14] for load-bearing biological materials. The optimal frequency of staggered nanocomposites, calculated in section 5.2, is in this frequency range. Therefore, the optimal structures of biological materials from natural evolution can be imitated by designing biomimetic materials. The findings in the present study not only reveal the damping mechanism of biological structures at nanoscale, but also provide useful guidelines for the design of biomimetic nanocomposites from the nanoscale to the macroscopic scale.