After being severely and quasi-plastically distorted, shape memory materials (SMMs) are able to recover their original shape at the presence of the right stimulus. 07 July 2010
Porphyrins show unique binding properties that are widely exploited in nature to accomplish essential functions for life; the potential mimic of these functions with synthetic counterparts has provided the basis of many kinds of chemical sensors. 07 July 2010
It is almost a decade since the first presentation of metal oxide nanowires as chemical sensors. 07 July 2010
Immunosensing technology is taking advantage of the lastest developments in materials science and inparticular from the nanomaterials field. 07 July 2010
For the past decade, we have been investigating strategies to develop ways to provide chemical sensing platforms capable of long-term deployment in remote locations. 07 July 2010
The recent earthquake in Haiti has focused worldwide attention on the need for improved water purification materials and systems. 15 June 2010
Block copolymers self-assemble on nanometer length scales, making them ideal for emerging nanotechnologies. 15 June 2010
Mix a drop of water into a vial of oil. With some surfactant and a vigorous shake, that one droplet has become thousands, and the total interfacial area has increased by an order of magnitude or more. 15 June 2010
The nanoscale dimensions, sensitive electronic control, and flexible architecture of new generations of nanomaterials and nanofabrication techniques hold immense promise not only for electronic devices, but also biological interfaces. 15 June 2010
Nature makes materials, and so do we. But Nature's materials are very different from ours. 25 May 2010
This paper summarizes some of our efforts in designing and synthesizing bio-functional layers at solid/solution interfaces, characterizing their structure and dynamics, and optimizing their functional properties. 30 April 2010
Patterning of surfaces with different chemistries provides novel insights into how proteins, cells and tissues interact with materials. 30 April 2010
Cell surfaces are fertile ground for chemists and material scientists to manipulate or augment cell functions and phenotypes. 30 April 2010
Are you on Facebook? Twitter, perhaps? Maybe LinkedIn? What about a social networking site dedicated to materials science? If you are not, you may be more alone than you think… 16 February 2010
Recent analyses of the ultrastructural and mechanical properties of mineralized biological materials have demonstrated some common architectural features that can help explain their observed damage tolerance. 16 February 2010
Biological tissues are ensembles of various types of cells and extracellular molecules. Functionality in tissues arises from their components (cells and extracellular molecules) as well as from the location of those components relative to each other. The organization of the constituents of a tissue is known as histoarchitecture. 15 February 2010
An ageing population and the democratization of high-risk sports have led to a surge of bone-related diseases and bone fractures. As a result, the use of bone graft substitutes has dramatically increased in the last decade. 15 February 2010
Biomaterial matrices are being developed that mimic the key characteristics of the extracellular matrix, including presenting adhesion sites and displaying growth factors in the context of a viscoelastic hydrogel. This review focuses on two classes of materials: those that are derived from naturally occurring molecules and those that recapitulate key motifs of biomolecules within biologically active synthetic materials. 15 February 2010
Development of biodegradable metal implants is a complex problem because it combines engineering and medical requirements for a material. This article discusses the development of sensing and corrosion control techniques that can help in the design of biodegradable metallic implants. 28 October 2009
Recent advances in sub-millimeter scale engineering suggest the possibility for constructing miniaturized tetherless medical tools for in vivo diagnostics and therapeutics. We review the challenges associated with the design and implementation of small, remotely controlled or autonomous surgical devices. Two key milestones are the creation of tiny mimics of macroscopic surgical devices with chemical, mechanical and electronic functionalities; and wireless strategies to control them or enable independent decision making (autonomous actuation). We summarize early results obtained in this area and discuss possible solutions with a focus on the challenges that can be addressed by innovations in materials science and engineering. 26 October 2009
Oxygen is essential for many forms of life and its depletion in the body and the environment can lead to deleterious effects. 26 October 2009
The fabrication of miniaturized, low-cost, flexible sensors based on organic electronics via high-throughput techniques (e.g. printing) is expected to provide important benefits for applications in chemical and biological detection. The rapid maturation of synthetic methodology in the field of organic electronics has lead to the creation of new materials at an incredible rate and an increased understanding of semiconductor-analyte interactions. 25 September 2009
Rapid progress in materials science and electrical engineering has led to the development of miniature electronic platforms that have devices and components as small as the main components of live cells. 25 September 2009
Surface immobilization of functional receptors on microfabricated cantilever arrays offers a new paradigm for the development of biosensors based on nanomechanics. Microcantilever-based systems are capable of real-time, multiplexed detection of unlabeled disease markers in extremely small volumes of samples. Currently available fabrication technology will allow the integration of electronic readout and sample introduction into a single unit, decreasing the device size, detection time, and cost. 25 September 2009
Nature is the best example of a system functioning on the nanometer scale, where the involved materials, energy consumption and data handling are optimized. Opening the doors to the nanoworld the emergence of the scanning tunneling microscope in 1982 and the atomic force microscope in 1986 led to a shift of paradigm in the understanding and perception of matter at its most fundamental level. 24 August 2009
Biomaterials research will always require a range of techniques to examine structure and function on a range of length scales and in a range of settings. Neutron scattering provides a unique way of disentangling the molecular and structural complexity of biomaterials through study of the constituent components. We examine how the technique has been used to study surface immobilized proteins and lipid films, floating lipid bilayers as mimics of in vitro planar membranes, and formation of fibres from solution by insects and spiders. 14 August 2009
Nanoscience and nanotechnology are closely intertwined subjects that are attracting ever-increasing attention, both in the scientific world and in the marketplace. Major developments in growth and synthesis methods mean that atoms can nowadays be manipulated in a controlled fashion to produce novel properties that are often not found in bulk materials. 21 January 2009
Recent results have demonstrated the feasibility of video-rate scanning tunneling microscopy and video-rate atomic force microscopy. The further development of this technology will enable the direct observation of many dynamic processes that are impossible to observe today with conventional Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPMs). 21 January 2009
Dynamic transmission electron microscopy allows observation of changes in both the structure and properties of materials at resolutions from the nanometer to the Ångström. Here I review four significant developments in instrumentation and technique that are pushing the boundaries of these experiments, including new optics, new experimental geometries, new ways of imaging solids in liquid and gaseous environments, and developments in ultrafast imaging. These advances will significantly improve our understanding in many areas of materials science, nanoscience, and biological function. 21 January 2009
Email Address
Password
Forgotten login?