Functional biomaterials

Photoswitchable Biomaterial Functions through Tethering of Photoisomerizable Units to Proteins... 

Intermolecular recognition is the most fundamental feature of biomaterial functions. Biochemical transformations in which intermolecular recognition and binding events play a central role include ... 

In the next section, we will address different systems tailored along these lines, leading to the electronic transduction of photoswitchable redox biomaterial functions. 

Sanghvi, A. B., Miller, K. P. H., Belcher, A. M. and Schmidt, C. E. (2005) Biomaterials functionalization using a novel peptide that selectively binds to a conducting polymer. Nature Mat. 4,496 502. 

Schopka, S., Schmid, T., Schmid, C., Lehle, K. Current strategies in cardiovascular biomaterial functionalization. Materials 3(1), 638-655 (2010)... 

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS including Faradaic impedance in the presence of a redox probe and non-Faradaic-capacitance methods) is considered as a rapid technique for the characterization of the structure and functional operation of biomaterial-functionalized electrodes (Yang and Bashir, 2008). The immobilization of biomaterials on electrodes produces changes in the capacitance and interfacial electron transfer resistance of electrodes, causing changes in the impedance. Flence, interfacial... 

Within the scope of this review, the contributions of the last decade concerning cell-wall polysaccharides isolated from woody and other plant tissues will be reviewed according to the above-proposed classification of hemicelluloses including larch arabinogalactans. The present review article updates and extends previous reviews [3-5] and will focus in particular on new investigated plant sources, isolation methods, structural features, physicochemical and various functional properties of hemicelluloses. Attention will also be paid to the modification of isolated hemicelluloses or hemicellulosic materials and the appHcation possibiUties of hemicelluloses and their derivatives, including their use for the production of composite materials and other biomaterials. 

Foreman, E.A. and Fhiskas, J.E. Direct surface functionalization of novel biomaterials, Polym. Prepr., 47, 45, 2006. 

Polymers used in medicine fall into two main categories those that are sufficiently inert to fulfill a long-term structural function as biomaterials or membranes, and those that are sufficiently hydrolytically unstable to function as bioeradible materials, either in the form of sutures or as absorbable matrices for the controlled release of drugs. For the synthetic organic polymers widely used in biomedicine this often translates to a distinction between polymers that have a completely hydrocarbon backbone and those that have sites in the backbone that are hydrolytically sensitive. Ester, anhydride, amide, or urethane linkages in the backbone usually serve this function. 

In the field of tissue engineering, the principles of engineering and life sciences are applied for the development of functional substitutes for damaged tissue. To this end, biomaterials have been used to replace, restore, or enhance organ function. Therefore the material needs to be able to match the characteristics of the tissue it is replacing, such as shape, physical properties, and support in cellular processes [106]. 

Liu WE, Chen CS (2005) Engineering biomaterials to control cell function. Mater Today 8 28-35... 

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