Bioinspiration

The advent of biomedical applications of soft bioinspired materials has entailed an increasing demand for streamlined and expedient characterization methods meant for both research and quality control objectives. Here, a novel measurement system for the characterization of biological hydrogels with volumes as low as 75 µL was developed. The system is based on an indentation platform equipped with micrometer drive actuators that allow the determination of both the fracture points and Young's moduli of relatively stiff polymers, including agarose, as well as the measurements of viscosity for exceptionally soft and viscous hydrogels, such as DNA hydrogels...

3D structures are crucial to biological function in the human body, driving interest in their in vitro fabrication. Advances in shape-morphing materials allow the assembly of 3D functional materials with the ability to modulate the architecture, flexibility, functionality, and other properties of the final product that suit the desired application. The principles of these techniques correspond to the principles of origami and kirigami, which enable the transformation of planar materials into 3D structures by folding, cutting, and twisting the 2D structure...

Bioinspired bionic eyes should be self-driving, repairable and conformal to arbitrary geometries. Such eye would enable wide-field detection and efficient visual signal processing without requiring external energy, along with retinal transplantation by replacing dysfunctional photoreceptors with healthy ones for vision restoration. A variety of artificial eyes have been constructed with hemispherical silicon, perovskite and heterostructure photoreceptors, but creating zero-powered retinomorphic system with transplantable conformal features remains elusive...

Recent advances in visible light photocatalysis represent a significant stride towards sustainable catalytic chemistry. However, its successful implementation in fine chemical production remains challenging and requires careful optimization of available photocatalysts. Our work aims to structurally modify bioinspired porphyrin catalysts, addressing issues related to their laborious synthesis and low solubility, with the goal of increasing their efficiency and developing reusable catalytic systems. We have demonstrated the catalytic potential of readily available meso -tetrakis[4-(diethoxyphosphoryl)phenyl]porphyrins (M(TPPP))...

Breast cancer, a pervasive malignancy affecting women, demands a diverse treatment approach including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical interventions. However, the effectiveness of doxorubicin (DOX), a cornerstone in breast cancer therapy, is limited when used as a monotherapy, and concerns about cardiotoxicity persist. Ginsenoside Rg3, a classic compound of traditional Chinese medicine found in Panax ginseng C. A. Mey., possesses diverse pharmacological properties, including cardiovascular protection, immune modulation, and anticancer effects...

Marangoni actuators that are propelled by surface tension gradients hold significant potential in small-scale swimming robots. Nevertheless, the release of "fuel" for conventional chemical Marangoni actuators is not easily controllable, and the single swimming function also limits application areas. Constructing controllable Marangoni robots with multifunctions is still a huge challenge. Herein, inspired by water striders, electricity-driven strategies are proposed for a multifunctional swimming Marangoni robot (MSMR), which is fabricated by super-aligned carbon nanotube (SACNT) and polyimide (PI) composite...

In recent decades, peptide amphiphiles (PAs) have established themselves as promising self-assembling bioinspired materials in a wide range of medical fields. Herein, we report a dual-therapeutic system constituted by an antimicrobial PA and a cylindrical protease inhibitor (LJC) to achieve broad antimicrobial spectrum and to enhance therapeutic efficacy. We studied two strategies: PA-LJC nanostructures ( Encapsulation ) and PA nanostructures + free LJC ( Combination ). Computational modeling using a molecular theory for amphiphile self-assembly captures and explains the morphology of PA-LJC nanostructures and the location of encapsulated LJC in agreement with transmission electron microscopy and two-dimensional (2D) NMR observations...

Advancement in bioinspired alloy nanomaterials has a crucial impact on fuel cell applications. Here, we report the synthesis of PtPd alloy nanoclusters via the hydrothermal method using Piper longum extract, representing a novel and environmentally friendly approach. Physicochemical characteristics of the synthesized nanoclusters were investigated using various instrumentation techniques, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and High-Resolution Transmission electron microscopy. The electrocatalytic activity of the biogenic PtPd nanoclusters towards the oxidation of formic acid and methanol was evaluated chronoamperometry and cyclic voltammetry studies...

Electroactive artificial muscles with deformability have attracted widespread interest in the field of soft robotics. However, the design of artificial muscles with low-driven voltage and operational durability remains challenging. Herein, novel biomass porous carbon (BPC) electrodes are proposed. The nanoporous BPC enables the electrode to provide exposed active surfaces for charge transfer and unimpeded channels for ion migration, thus decreasing the driving voltage, enhancing time durability, and maintaining the actuation performances simultaneously...

The eXtended finite element method (XFEM) is a powerful tool for structural mechanics, assisting engineers and designers in understanding how a material architecture responds to stresses and consequently assisting the creation of mechanically improved structures. The XFEM method has unraveled the extraordinary relationships between material topology and fracture behavior in biological and engineered materials, enhancing peculiar fracture toughening mechanisms, such as crack deflection and arrest. Despite its extensive use, a detailed revision of case studies involving XFEM with a focus on the applications rather than the method of numerical modeling is in great need...

Recent studies have shown that the mechanical properties of bioinspired periodic composite materials can be strongly influenced by finite deformation effects, leading to highly nonlinear static and dynamic behaviors at multiple length scales. For instance, in porous periodic nacre-like microstructures, microscopic and macroscopic instabilities may occur for a given uniaxial loading process and, as a consequence, wave attenuation properties may evolve as a function of the microstructural evolution, designating it as metamaterials...

There are many indole alkaloids that contain diverse functional groups attached to the benzene ring on the indole core. Promising biological activities of these alkaloids have been reported. Herein, we report the indole C5-selective bromination of indolo[2,3-a]quinolizidine alkaloids by adding nearly equimolar amounts of Br3·PyH and HCl in MeOH. The resulting reaction plausibly proceeds through an indoline intermediate by the nucleophilic addition of MeOH to the C3-brominated indolenine intermediate. Data support the intermediacy of a C3-, C5-dibrominated indolenine intermediate as a brominating agent...

Advances in bioinspired and biohybrid robotics are enabling the creation of multifunctional systems able to explore complex unstructured environments. Inspired by Avena fruits, we report a biohybrid miniaturized autonomous machine (HybriBot) composed of a biomimetic biodegradable capsule as cargo delivery system and natural humidity-driven sister awns as biological motors. We employ micro-computed tomography, molding via two-photon polymerization and casting of natural awns into biodegradable materials to fabricate multiple HybriBots capable of exploring various soil and navigating soil irregularities, such as holes and cracks...

Biological materials such as bone, nacre, antler, and teeth are gifted with excellent mechanical properties that have inspired synthetic composites' development. These superior properties are attributed to the geometrical as well as the material properties of the constituents at a small scale. This paper is focused on the influence of failure modes over the mechanical properties including stiffness, strength, and toughness, after the failure of different interfaces in staggered bio-inspired structures such as regular and stairwise staggered arrangements where stiff platelets are embedded in a pliant matrix...

Nature is filled with materials that are both strong and light, such as bones, teeth, bamboo, seashells, arthropod exoskeletons, and nut shells. The insights gained from analyzing the changing chemical compositions and structural characteristics, as well as the mechanical properties of these materials, have been applied in developing innovative, durable, and lightweight materials like those used for impact absorption. This research concentrates on the involucres of Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi var. lacryma-jobi), which are rich in silica, hard, and serve to encase the seeds...

African shrimp (Atya gabonensis) inhabit clear freshwaters, where the notably low concentration of food may pose a challenge to the efficacy of filter fibers on the chela for filter-feeding. Here, we investigate how the distinctive cross-sectional characteristics and spatial arrangement of the African shrimp's non-circular fibers contribute to the enhanced filtration performance of these specialized fibers. The unilateral thickening of the wall along the long axis of the elliptical cross-section of African shrimp fibers markedly enhances the filtration performance...

In the field of robotic hands, finger force coordination is usually achieved by complex mechanical structures and control systems. This study presents the design of a novel transmission system inspired from the physiological concept of force synergies, aiming to simplify the control of multifingered robotic hands. To this end, we collected human finger force data during six isometric grasping tasks, and force synergies (i.e., the synergy weightings and the corresponding activation coefficients) were extracted from the concatenated force data to explore their potential for force modulation...

Proteinoids are synthetic polymers that have structural similarities to natural proteins, and their formation is achieved through the application of heat to amino acid combinations in a dehydrated environment. The thermal proteins, initially synthesised by Sidney Fox during the 1960s, has the ability to undergo self-assembly, resulting in the formation of microspheres that resemble cells. These microspheres have fascinating biomimetic characteristics. In recent studies, substantial advancements have been made in elucidating the electrical signalling phenomena shown by proteinoids, hence showcasing their promising prospects in the field of neuro-inspired computing...

Mini protein mimicking uricase (mp20) has shown significant potential as a replacement for natural enzymes in the development of uric acid biosensors. However, the design of mp20 has resulted to an inactive form of peptide, causing of loss their catalytic activity. Herein, this paper delineates the impact of various metal cofactors on the catalytic activity of mp20. The metal ion-binding site prediction and docking (MIB) web server was employed to identify the metal ion binding sites and their affinities towards mp20 residues...

Introducing natural Bouligand structure into synthetics is expected to develop high-performance structural materials. Interfibrous interface is critical to load transfer, and mechanical functionality of bioinspired Bouligand structure yet receives little attention. Here, we propose one kind of hierarchical and reconfigurable interfibrous interface based on moderate orderliness to mechanically reinforce bioinspired Bouligand structure. The interface imparted by moderate alignment of adaptable networked nanofibers hierarchically includes nanofiber interlocking and hydrogen-bonding (HB) network bridging, being expected to facilitate load transfer and structural stability through dynamic adjustment in terms of nanofiber sliding and HB breaking-reforming...