Biological materials, as physical systems, comprise substances produced by or derived from living organisms, characterized by hierarchical organization from molecular to macroscopic scales and emergent structure–property relationships. They include tissues, extracellular matrices, biominerals, and biopolymers such as collagen, chitin, cellulose, and elastin. Their properties arise from complex architectures combining organic and often inorganic phases, enabling functions such as load bearing, protection, adhesion, and signal transduction. Biological materials exhibit viscoelasticity, anisotropy, self-healing, and adaptive remodeling under mechanical or biochemical stimuli, making them central model systems for biomechanics, biomimetics, and the design of advanced bioinspired and biomedical materials.
The efficient use of cellulose—the primary plant scaffold and a major natural building block—could address many issues associated with petroleum-based polymers across various industries. In the search for more sustainable ...
Bio & Medicine
Oct 30, 2024
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In a recent breakthrough, researchers have utilized a one-step tension-assisted twisting (TAT) method to fabricate bacterial cellulose (BC) macrofibers with exceptional strength and moisture responsiveness, paving the way ...
Bio & Medicine
Oct 7, 2024
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51
MIT researchers have developed a miniature, chip-based "tractor beam," like the one that captures the Millennium Falcon in the film "Star Wars," that could someday help biologists and clinicians study DNA, classify cells, ...
Optics & Photonics
Oct 3, 2024
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79
In a process as simple as stirring eggs and flour into pancakes, University of Oregon researchers have mixed fluorescent ring-shaped molecules into a novel 3D printing process. The result: intricate glowing structures that ...
Bio & Medicine
Sep 27, 2024
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137
An international team of researchers described how loops, crucial for the stability of such networks, occur in transport networks found in nature. The researchers observed that when one branch of the network reaches the system's ...
General Physics
Sep 27, 2024
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102
The global transition towards sustainability has sparked significant interest in bio-based materials and energy-efficient technologies. Among these, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), derived from renewable resources, have shown ...
Nanomaterials
Sep 26, 2024
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60
Many cellular functions in the human body are controlled by biological droplets called liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) droplets. These droplets, made of soft biological materials, exist inside living cells but are not ...
Bio & Medicine
Sep 26, 2024
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75
It's almost time to dust off the Halloween decorations and adorn the house with all manner of spooky things, including the classic polyester spider webs. Scientists reporting in ACS Nano have made their own version of fake ...
Bio & Medicine
Sep 24, 2024
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111
A new diagnostic test system jointly developed at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) and UCLA Samueli School of Engineering fuses a powerful, sensitive transistor with a cheap, paper-based ...
Bio & Medicine
Sep 10, 2024
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99
Biomolecules-based materials hold great promise for malignant tumor phototherapy. However, current supramolecular biomaterials primarily suffer from poor tissue penetration, inadequate tumor accumulation, and particularly ...
Bio & Medicine
Sep 10, 2024
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