Nanowerk October 24, 2023 Researchers at Tufts University have developed a hybrid biopolymer–semiconductor device by integrating nanoscale silk layers in a well-established class of inorganic field-effect transistors (silk-FETs). The devices offered two distinct modes of operation—either traditional field-effect or electrolyte-gated—enabled by the precisely controlled thickness, morphology, and biochemistry of the integrated silk layers. The different operational modes were selectively accessed by dynamically modulating the free-water content within the nanoscale protein layer from the vapor phase. They illustrated the utility of the hybrid devices in a highly sensitive and ultrafast breath sensor, highlighting the opportunities offered by the integration of nanoscale […]
Tag Archives: Biomaterials
Scientists use modified silk proteins to create new nonstick surfaces
Science Daily September 23, 2022 Silk fibroin protein, a biomaterial, has excellent biocompatibility and low immunogenicity. It is used in stents, catheters, and wound dressings. To further expand its scope and utility a team of researchers in the US (Tufts University, California State University at Fresno) has modulated the hydrophobicity of silk fibroin protein. They found that installing perfluorocarbon chains on the surface of silk fibroin transforms this water-soluble protein into a hydrophobic polymer that can be solvent-cast. A clear relationship emerged between fluorine content of the modified silk and film hydrophobicity. Water contact angles of the most decorated silk […]
Unbreakable bionic glove made from silk for human-machine-interfacing
Nanowerk December 14, 2021 An international team of researchers (Denmark, Finland) has designed a new electronic material called CareGum by mixing silk fibroin and reduced graphene oxide. They used a phenolic glue to facilitate sacrificial and hierarchical hydrogen bonds. The hierarchal bonding scheme gives rise to high mechanical toughness, record-breaking elongation capacity of ≈25 000%, excellent conformability to arbitrary and complex surfaces, 3D printability, a tenfold increase in electrical conductivity, and a fourfold increase in Young’s modulus compared to its pristine counterpart. Since its conductivity is based on ions, CareGum can convey information over longer distances than rigid electronics based […]
New biomaterial regrows blood vessels and bone, RCSI research
EurekAlert April 20, 2021 Researchers in Ireland used mechanobiology-informed approach to design a functionalized scaffold for the dose-controlled delivery of PGF which is capable of promoting regeneration of critically sized bone defects. Alginate microparticles and collagen/hydroxyapatite scaffolds were shown to be effective PGF-delivery platforms. Although this PGF-functionalized scaffold demonstrated only a modest increase in osteogenic capacity in vitro, robust bone regeneration was observed after implantation into rat calvarial defects, indicating that the dose-dependent effect of PGF can be harnessed as an alternative to multi-drug systems for the delivery of both pro-angiogenic and pro-osteogenic cues. The research provides a framework for […]
New biomaterial could shield against harmful radiation
Phys.org July 8, 2020 Melanins are a family of heterogeneous biopolymers found ubiquitously across plant, animal, bacterial, and fungal kingdoms where they act variously as pigments and as radiation protection agents. An international team of researchers (USA – Northwestern, UC San Diego, University of Akron, Belgium) synthesized ” selenomelanin” enriching melanin with selenium instead of sulfur to provide better protection against X-rays as selenium is an essential micronutrient that plays an important role in cancer prevention. Results demonstrated that selenomelanin offers superior protection from radiation, it is easy to synthesize. Selenomelanin can be biosynthesized, with appropriate nutrients can produce selenomelanin […]
Stretchable, degradable semiconductors
Science Daily November 13, 2019 Researchers at Stanford University decoupled the design of stretchability and transience by harmonizing polymer physics principles and molecular design to develop a material that simultaneously possesses three disparate attributes: semiconductivity, intrinsic stretchability, and full degradability. They have shown that the semiconducting nanofibers concurrently enable controlled transience and strain-independent transistor mobilities. They anticipate that these materials could be used to build fully biodegradable diagnostic or therapeutic devices, environmental monitors, and advance developing multifunctional materials for skin-inspired electronic devices…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ATRICLE IMAGE https://pubs.acs.org/na101/home/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/acscii/0/acscii.ahead-of-print/acscentsci.9b00850/20191031/images/medium/oc9b00850_0005.gif CAPTION Abstract. Credit: ACS Central Science, November 13, 2019 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acscentsci.9b00850