Hyaluronic acid hydrogels for biomedical applications

Hyaluronic acid (HA), an immunoneutral polysaccharide that is ubiquitous in the human body, is crucial for many cellular and tissue functions and has been in clinical use for over thirty years. When chemically modified, HA can be transformed into many physical forms-viscoelastic solutions, soft or stiff hydrogels, electrospun fibers, non-woven meshes, macroporous and fibrillar sponges, flexible sheets, and nanoparticulate fluids-for use in a range of preclinical and clinical settings. Many of these forms are derived from the chemical crosslinking of pendant reactive groups by addition/condensation chemistry or by radical polymerization. Clinical products for cell therapy and regenerative medicine require crosslinking chemistry that is compatible with the encapsulation of cells and injection into tissues. Moreover, an injectable clinical biomaterial must meet marketing, regulatory, and financial constraints to provide affordable products that can be approved, deployed to the clinic, and used by physicians. Many HA-derived hydrogels meet these criteria, and can deliver cells and therapeutic agents for tissue repair and regeneration. This progress report covers both basic concepts and recent advances in the development of HA-based hydrogels for biomedical applications.     

Bioinspired Infrared Sensing Materials and Systems

Bioinspired engineering offers a promising alternative approach in accelerating the development of many man‐made systems. Next‐generation infrared (IR) sensing systems can also benefit from such nature‐inspired approach. The inherent compact and uncooled operation of biological IR sensing systems provides ample inspiration for the engineering of portable and high‐performance artificial IR sensing systems. This review overviews the current understanding of the biological IR sensing systems, most of which are thermal‐based IR sensors that rely on either bolometer‐like or photomechanic sensing mechanism. The existing efforts inspired by the biological IR sensing systems and possible future bioinspired approaches in the development of new IR sensing systems are also discussed in the review. Besides these biological IR sensing systems, other biological systems that do not have IR sensing capabilities but can help advance the development of engineered IR sensing systems are also discussed, and the related engineering efforts are overviewed as well. Further efforts in understanding the biological IR sensing systems, the learning from the integration of multifunction in biological systems, and the reduction of barriers to maximize the multidiscipline collaborations are needed to move this research field forward.     

Bioinspired bubble design for particle generation

In this study, we devise a method to generate homogeneous particles from a bubble suspension, with the capability to control loading and the structure of bubbles. Ideally, a process such as this would occur at the interface between daughter bubble formation (instant) and gaseous diffusion (gradual). Interestingly, the budding mechanism in micro-organisms is one that demonstrates features of the desired phenomena (although at a much slower rate), as viruses can eject and evolve structures from their membranes. With these natural concepts, a bubble''s surface can also be made to serve as a platform for particle generation, which transfers significant elements from the initial bubble coating to the newly generated structures. Here, we illustrate this by preparing coated bubbles (approx. 150 µm in diameter) using a hydrophobic polymer, which may be comparable to naturally occurring bubble coatings (e.g. organic matter forming part of bubble coatings in the sea), and dye (which can demonstrate entrapment of smaller quantities of a desired moiety) and then observe particle generation (approx. 500 nm). The process, which may be driven by a polymerosome-forming mechanism, also illustrates how additional uniform sub-micrometre-scale structures may form from a bubble''s surface, which may have also previously been attributed to gas diffusion. In addition, such methods of particle formation from a bubble structure, the incorporation of chemical or biological media via an in situ process and subsequent release technologies have several areas of interest across the broad scientific community.     

Correlating cell morphology and osteoid mineralization relative to strain profile for bone tissue engineering applications.

A number of bone tissue engineering strategies use porous three-dimensional scaffolds in combination with bioreactor regimes. The ability to understand cell behaviour relative to strain profile will allow for the effects of mechanical conditioning in bone tissue engineering to be realized and optimized. We have designed a model system to investigate the effects of strain profile on bone cell behaviour. This simplified model has been designed with a view to providing insight into the types of strain distribution occurring across a single pore of a scaffold subjected to perfusion-compression conditioning. Local strains were calculated at the surface of the pore model using finite-element analysis. Scanning electron microscopy was used in secondary electron mode to identify cell morphology within the pore relative to local strains, while backscattered electron detection in combination with X-ray microanalysis was used to identify calcium deposition. Morphology was altered according to the level of strain experienced by bone cells, where cells subjected to compressive strains (up to 0.61%) appeared extremely rounded while those experiencing zero and tensile strain (up to 0.81%) were well spread. Osteoid mineralization was similarly shown to be dose dependent with respect to substrate strain within the pore model, with the highest level of calcium deposition identified in the intermediate zones of tension/compression.     

Advanced engineering and biomimetic materials for bone repair and regeneration

Over the past decade, there has been tremendous progress in developing advanced biomaterials for tissue repair and regeneration. This article reviews the frontiers of this field from two closely related areas, new engineering materials for bone substitution and biomimetic mineralization for bone-like nanocomposites. Rather than providing an exhaustive overview of the literature, we focus on several representative directions. We also discuss likely future trends in these areas, including synthetic biology-enabled biomaterials design and multifunctional implant materials for bone repair and regeneration.     

Bioinspired Electronics for Artificial Sensory Systems

Humans have a myriad of sensory receptors in different sense organs that form the five traditionally recognized senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. These receptors detect diverse stimuli originating from the world and turn them into brain‐interpretable electrical impulses for sensory cognitive processing, enabling us to communicate and socialize. Developments in biologically inspired electronics have led to the demonstration of a wide range of electronic sensors in all five traditional categories, with the potential to impact a broad spectrum of applications. Here, recent advances in bioinspired electronics that can function as potential artificial sensory systems, including prosthesis and humanoid robots are reviewed. The mechanisms and demonstrations in mimicking biological sensory systems are individually discussed and the remaining future challenges that must be solved for their versatile use are analyzed. Recent progress in bioinspired electronic sensors shows that the five traditional senses are successfully mimicked using novel electronic components and the performance regarding sensitivity, selectivity, and accuracy have improved to levels that outperform human sensory organs. Finally, neural interfacing techniques for connecting artificial sensors to the brain are discussed.     

Bioinspired 2D Nanomaterials for Sustainable Applications

The increasing demand for constructing ecological civilization and promoting socially sustainable development has encouraged scientists to develop bioinspired materials with required properties and functions. By bringing science and nature together, plenty of novel materials with extraordinary properties can be created by learning the best from natural species. In combination with the exceptional features of 2D nanomaterials, bioinspired 2D nanomaterials and technologies have delivered significant achievements. Here, the progress over the past decade in bioinspired 2D photonic structures, energy nanomaterials, and superwetting materials, is summarized, together with the challenges and opportunities in developing bioinspired materials for sustainable energy and environmental technologies.     

Wettability-patterned microchip for emerging biomedical materials and technologies

Microchip has long been studied and facilitated recent investigations in multiple biomedical and material fields. The advances in functional materials triggered several leaps in the development of microchip technology. Microarray chip, benefiting from micropatterning and nucleic acid nanotechnology, was firstly introduced around 1980 and rapidly facilitated genomics, proteomics, and biodetections. In the following generation, the microfluidic chips, raised from microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and soft lithography, are revolutionizing several areas like biology, material fabrication, energy, and environmental science. More recently, the advances in materials fabrication keep expanding the frontiers of microchip platforms, like nanoscale fabrications and flexible device manufacturing. One of the most promising platforms is the wettability-patterned materials inspired by ubiquitous natural wetting creatures such as lotus leaf, spider silk, and Stenocara beetles. The unique property of handling liquids with no sophisticated equipment potentially facilitated the current microchip platform by combining the merits of microarray and microfluidics, and in turn, benefits material communities and beyond. In this featured article, we briefly introduce the state of art technologies to fabricate wettability-patterned chips and highlight some proof-of-concept demonstration of its emerging applications in material and biomedical science. We also give an outlook on its further developments including machine-learning micropattern manufacturing technology and reveal its potentiality to revolute several scientific areas.     

Antibacterial surface design of biomedical titanium materials for orthopedic applications

Titanium(Ti)and titanium alloys have become widely used as biomedical materials in orthopedics because of their good machinability,corrosion resistance,low elastic modulus and excellent biocom-patibility.However,when Ti-based implants are used for bone repair and replacement,they are easy to cause bacteria adhesion and aggregation,which leads to postoperative infection.In addition,Ti and its alloys,as bio-inert materials,cannot induce desirable tissue responses such as osseointegration after implantation,which will eventually lead to implant loosening.Postoperative bacterial infection and lack of osseointegration directly lead to the failure of implantation surgery and are not conductive to the long-term service of titanium-based implants.Recently,researchers have made many attempts to focus on the surface modification of multifunctional Ti-based implants to endow them with both antibacterial activity and simultaneous osteoinductive property.In this review,we primarily highlighted the recent progresses in the surface design of Ti implants with both antimicrobial and osteoinductive properties for orthopedic applications.First,the challenges for treating implant-associated infections were briefly introduced such as the emergence of antibiotic resistance,the formation of biofilms,and the construction of cell-selective surfaces.Some of the essential fundamentals were concisely introduced to address these emerging challenges.Next,we intended to elaborate the potential strategies of multifunctional surface design to endow good osseointegration for antibacterial Ti implants and highlighted the recent advances of the implants.We hope that this review will provide theoretical basis and technical support for the development of new Ti implant with antibacterial and osteogenic functions.     

Electrically Driven Microengineered Bioinspired Soft Robots

To create life‐like movements, living muscle actuator technologies have borrowed inspiration from biomimetic concepts in developing bioinspired robots. Here, the development of a bioinspired soft robotics system, with integrated self‐actuating cardiac muscles on a hierarchically structured scaffold with flexible gold microelectrodes is reported. Inspired by the movement of living organisms, a batoid‐fish‐shaped substrate is designed and reported, which is composed of two micropatterned hydrogel layers. The first layer is a poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel substrate, which provides a mechanically stable structure for the robot, followed by a layer of gelatin methacryloyl embedded with carbon nanotubes, which serves as a cell culture substrate, to create the actuation component for the soft body robot. In addition, flexible Au microelectrodes are embedded into the biomimetic scaffold, which not only enhance the mechanical integrity of the device, but also increase its electrical conductivity. After culturing and maturation of cardiomyocytes on the biomimetic scaffold, they show excellent myofiber organization and provide self‐actuating motions aligned with the direction of the contractile force of the cells. The Au microelectrodes placed below the cell layer further provide localized electrical stimulation and control of the beating behavior of the bioinspired soft robot.     

Bioinspired Janus Textile with Conical Micropores for Human Body Moisture and Thermal Management

Excessive sweat secreted from the skin often causes undesired adhesion from wetted textiles and cold sensations. Traditional hydrophilic textiles such as cotton can absorb sweat but retain it. A hydrophobic/superhydrophilic Janus polyester/nitrocellulose textile embedded with a conical micropore array with a hydrophilic inner surface that can achieve directional liquid transport (with an ultrahigh directional water transport capability of 1246%) and maintain human body temperature (2–3 °C higher than with cotton textiles) is demonstrated. When the hydrophobic polyester layer with large opening of hydrophilic conical micropores contacts the liquid, the Janus polyester/nitrocellulose textile can pump it to the superhydrophilic nitrocellulose layer through the hydrophilic conical micropores driven by capillary force. The Janus polyester/nitrocellulose textile can weaken undesired wet adhesion and heat loss due to the removal of liquid. The water wicking and air permeability of the Janus polyester/nitrocellulose textile is comparable to those of traditional cloths. This study is valuable for designing of functional textiles with directional water transport properties for personal drying and warming applications.     

Biomimetic and Bioinspired Synthesis of Nanomaterials/Nanostructures

In recent years, due to its unparalleled advantages, the biomimetic and bioinspired synthesis of nanomaterials/nanostructures has drawn increasing interest and attention. Generally, biomimetic synthesis can be conducted either by mimicking the functions of natural materials/structures or by mimicking the biological processes that organisms employ to produce substances or materials. Biomimetic synthesis is therefore divided here into “functional biomimetic synthesis” and “process biomimetic synthesis”. Process biomimetic synthesis is the focus of this review. First, the above two terms are defined and their relationship is discussed. Next different levels of biological processes that can be used for process biomimetic synthesis are compiled. Then the current progress of process biomimetic synthesis is systematically summarized and reviewed from the following five perspectives: i) elementary biomimetic system via biomass templates, ii) high‐level biomimetic system via soft/hard‐combined films, iii) intelligent biomimetic systems via liquid membranes, iv) living‐organism biomimetic systems, and v) macromolecular bioinspired systems. Moreover, for these five biomimetic systems, the synthesis procedures, basic principles, and relationships are discussed, and the challenges that are encountered and directions for further development are considered.     

Bioinspired Graphene‐Based Nanocomposites and Their Application in Flexible Energy Devices

Graphene is the strongest and stiffest material ever identified and the best electrical conductor known to date, making it an ideal candidate for constructing nanocomposites used in flexible energy devices. However, it remains a great challenge to assemble graphene nanosheets into macro‐sized high‐performance nanocomposites in practical applications of flexible energy devices using traditional approaches. Nacre, the gold standard for biomimicry, provides an excellent example and guideline for assembling two‐dimensional nanosheets into high‐performance nanocomposites. This review summarizes recent research on the bioinspired graphene‐based nanocomposites (BGBNs), and discusses different bioinspired assembly strategies for constructing integrated high‐strength and ‐toughness graphene‐based nanocomposites through various synergistic effects. Fundamental properties of graphene‐based nanocomposites, such as strength, toughness, and electrical conductivities, are highlighted. Applications of the BGBNs in flexible energy devices, as well as potential challenges, are addressed. Inspired from the past work done by the community a roadmap for the future of the BGBNs in flexible energy device applications is depicted.