Bio Inspired Silicon Based Materials

The contributed volume addresses a wide range of topics including, but not limited to, biotechnology, synthetic chemistry, polymer chemistry and materials chemistry. The book will serve as a specialized review of the field of biologically inspired silicon-based structures. Researchers studying biologically inspired silicon materials chemistry will find this volume invaluable.

This book focuses on the use of bio-inspired and biomimetic methods for the fabrication and activation of nanomaterials. This includes studies concerning the binding of the biomolecules to the surface of inorganic structures, structure/function relationships of the final materials and extensive discussions on the final applications of such biomimetic materials in unique applications including energy harvesting/storage, biomedical diagnostics and materials assembly.

Master simple to advanced biomaterials and structures with this essential text. Featuring topics ranging from bionanoengineered materials to bio-inspired structures for spacecraft and bio-inspired robots, and covering issues such as motility, sensing, control and morphology, this highly illustrated text walks the reader through key scientific and practical engineering principles, discussing properties, applications and design. Presenting case studies for the design of materials and structures at the nano, micro, meso and macro-scales, and written by some of the leading experts on the subject, this is the ideal introduction to this emerging field for students in engineering and science as well as researchers.

Comprehensive Biomaterials II, Second Edition, Seven Volume Set brings together the myriad facets of biomaterials into one expertly-written series of edited volumes. Articles address the current status of nearly all biomaterials in the field, their strengths and weaknesses, their future prospects, appropriate analytical methods and testing, device applications and performance, emerging candidate materials as competitors and disruptive technologies, research and development, regulatory management, commercial aspects, and applications, including medical applications. Detailed coverage is given to both new and emerging areas and the latest research in more traditional areas of the field. Particular attention is given to those areas in which major recent developments have taken place. This new edition, with 75% new or updated articles, will provide biomedical scientists in industry, government, academia, and research organizations with an accurate perspective on the field in a manner that is both accessible and thorough. Reviews the current status of nearly all biomaterials in the field by analyzing their strengths and weaknesses, performance, and future prospects Covers all significant emerging technologies in areas such as 3D printing of tissues, organs and scaffolds, cell encapsulation; multimodal delivery, cancer/vaccine - biomaterial applications, neural interface understanding, materials used for in situ imaging, and infection prevention and treatment Effectively describes the many modern aspects of biomaterials from basic science, to clinical applications

Can scientists and engineers replicate Nature and develop systems that operate in extreme environments? Bio-inspiration is an established concept which is developing to meet the needs of the many challenges we face particularly in defence and security. This book explores the potential of bio-inspired materials and sensing systems together with examples of how they are being implemented. It is not an exhaustive study of the subject but provides an overview of how bio-inspired or -derived approaches can be used to enhance components, systems and systems of systems for defence and security applications. Readers will gain an awareness of the complexity and versatility of bio-inspired components as well as an understanding of how these technologies can be applied in a variety of operational scenarios. Consideration is given to using a conceptual model that can be deployed in distributed or autonomous operations. Using this model, bio-inspiration with behavioural science plays a major role in identification, movement, searching strategies and pattern recognition for chemical and biological detection. Examples focus on both learning new things from nature that have application to the defence and security areas and adapting known discoveries for practical use by these communities. This graduate level monograph provides an increased awareness of the need for more sophisticated, networked sensors and systems in the defence and security communities and will be of interest to both specialists in this area and science and technology generalists.

Nanomaterials for Biocatalysis explains the fundamental design concepts and emerging applications of nanoscale biocatalysts, such as bioconversions, bioelectronics, biosensors, biocomputing and therapeutic applications. Nano-biocatalysts refers to the incorporation of enzymes into nanomaterials. These enzyme-enhanced nanocarriers have many advantages, including low mass transfer limitation, high enzyme capacity, better stabilization, and the formation of single-enzyme nanoparticles. Smart nanocontainers have been developed for the smart release of their embedded active substances. These smart releases can be obtained by using smart coatings as their outer nanoshells. In addition, these nanocontainers could protect the enzymes from chemical or metabolic alterations on their delivering pathways towards the target. This is an important reference source for materials scientists and chemical engineers who want to know more about how nanomaterials are being used for biocatalysis applications. Explains the major fabrication techniques and applications of nanobiocatalysts Shows how nanobiocatalysts are used in a variety of environmental and biomedical sectors Assesses the major challenges associated with the widespread manufacture of nanobiocatalysts

Intelligent materials are emerging composite functional materials that have boomed since the 1990s. The intelligent material system, involving a multitude of structures and functions, combines studies that explore nature, mimic nature and surpass nature. It also provides novel ideas, new theories, and cutting-edge methodologies for the innovation of science and technology. Thus, mimicking the micro/nanostructures and functions found in nature will build a bridge between biology and technology, which may provide inspirations for solving today's technological problems. This book gives a complementary introduction about natural and artificial micro/nanoscale interfacial materials, devoting largely to the intelligent materials with special wettabilities. Inspired by nature, the authors proposed a concept of "binary cooperative complementary micro/nanoscale interfacial materials". Based on this design concept, the contact and coupling of heterogeneous materials will result in novel properties on the surface or interface of materials, which may create new functional materials and devices. This book combines popular science and professional knowledge, which will be suitable for not only researchers but also science lovers.

In order to achieve the revolutionary new defense capabilities offered by materials science and engineering, innovative management to reduce the risks associated with translating research results will be needed along with the R&D. While payoff is expected to be high from the promising areas of materials research, many of the benefits are likely to be evolutionary. Nevertheless, failure to invest in more speculative areas of research could lead to undesired technological surprises. Basic research in physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science will provide the seeds for potentially revolutionary technologies later in the 21st century.

The use of bio-inspired methods for production of mesoporous silicas could lead to significant improvements in the synthetic conditions at which these materials are traditionally produced, removing the need for strong pH as well as high temperatures and pressures, and opening the way for milder treatments for template removal. However, due to the complexity of these systems, with many processes occurring simultaneously and high dependence on the specific synthetic conditions,obtaining a detailed description of their mechanism of formation based only on experimental methods is often very difficult. To overcome this difficulty, simulations methods, particularly molecular dynamics, have been developed and used to shed some light into this complex but fascinating problem.In the present thesis, the processes underlying the synthesis of bio-inspired silica materials are investigated at computational level by means of a multi-scale approach.This methodology has two major advantages: it enables to explore longer time and length scales, beyond the current limit of atomistic simulations, while allowing to maintain realism at the lower resolution levels, which are calibrated to match properties obtained at higher levels of theory.The work can be divided into two main parts. The first part aims to provide more insight into the synthesis of two early examples of bio-inspired materials(HMS and MSU-V), by means of a combination of atomistic and coarse-grained simulations. HMS and MSU-V materials share some common characteristics: they are both synthesised using amine surfactants as templates and a neutral templating route has been proposed to explain their formation. By simulating their synthesis at different pH values, it was possible to show that charged species are necessary to promote mesophase formation (disordered packing of rod-like micelles for HMS materials and lamellar structures for HMS). In both systems, in fact, neutral species produced phase separation of the templating materials into an unstructured and non-porous phase, and the lack of interactions with silicates indicates that these conditions cannot lead to structural organisation. Hence, molecular dynamics simulations reveal that, similarly to other mesoporous silicas and contrary to what has been previously hypothesised, charge matching interactions rather than hydrogen bonds are responsible for the self-assemble this class of materials. This knowledge is fundamental to provide further control over the properties of these solids and target their design for specific applications.In the second part, atomistic simulations are used to help elucidate the mechanism of template removal from a bio-inspired silica material by solvent extraction.This revealed that mild post-synthetic acid treatments allow to remove the templating additive by reducing, and eventually switching off, its interaction with the silica material. In agreement with experimental findings, which show that the majority of the additive is removed between pH 5 and 4, simulations indicate that at pH below 4.2 thermal fluctuations are sufficient to cause widespread release of the template. This result suggests that molecular simulations can be used as a simple and inexpensive tool for choosing appropriate solvents and experimental conditions in the material purification processes.