Biomimetic materials based

In this section we will focus on All-Cellulose biomimetic materials based on liquid crystalline phases of cellulose derivatives. 

NEW Bio-based and biomimetic materials their properties and uses (Section 8.22)... 

Main types of biomolecular recognition elements used in affinity biosensors based on spectroscopy of guided modes include antibodies, nucleic acids and biomimetic materials. Antibodies are used most frequently because of their high affinity, versatility, and commercial availability. 

The era of biomimetic peptide- and sugar-based polymer vesicles has just begun and seems very promising. Bioinspired vesicles are mainly applied for drug deliv-ery/release and the fabrication of composite materials, but could readily be used for biomimetic materials science, biomineralization, and so on. Especially interesting are smart vesicles changing properties in response to an external stimulus (temperature, pH, ions). 

Crowson A. Smart materials based on polymeric systems, smart structures and materials. In Smart materials technologies and biomimetics 1996. Bellingham, WA. 

Kuksenok et al. in Chapter 8 consider self-oscillating gels as biomimetic soft materials. They have modeled systems that exhibit irritability, the ability to sense and respond to a potentially harmful stimulus. Specifically, they have modeled materials based on Yoshida s BZ gel systems that could emit a chemical alarm signal and directed motion in response to a mechanical deformation or impact. This could be a significant step to biomimetic materials with important applications. 

Truta LAANA, Ferreira NS, Sales MGF. Graphene-based biomimetic materials targeting urine metabolite as potential cancer biomarker application over different conductive materials for potentiometric transduction. Electrochimica Acta 2014 150 99-107. http //dx.doi.Org/10.1016/j.electacta.2014.10.136. 

Liquid crystalline properties of cellulose and its derivatives can be exploited to produce biomimetic materials or all-cellulosic-based composites with enhanced mechanical properties. These materials will be the focus of this chapter. 

Cellulose is a fascinating biopolymer that has always been used in the production of textile fibers. Due to environmental concerns intense research has been conducted in the past decades in order to substitute traditional carbon or glass fibers used in the production of composites with eco-friendly cellulose fibers. The research in cellulose-based biocomposites is now focused on the concept of self-reinforced nanocomposites. In this sense all-cellulose composites have been investigated showing mechanical properties comparable or even better than those of traditional composites. Cellulose and its derivatives may also show liquid crystalline mesophases, which can be used to produce new and biomimetic materials with distinctive mechanical and optical properties. Most likely, enhanced mechanical properties will be obtained in all-cellulose nanocomposites by taking full advantage of the orientational order, when both the matrix and the fibers are in a liquid crystalline state. 

Combining peptide sequences and synthetic polymers is useful not only for enhanced control over nanoscale structure formation, but also for production of biologically interactive materials. Biomimetic hybrid polymers may also produce sophisticated superstructures with new material properties. Smart materials based on polypeptides may reversibly change conformation and associated properties in response to an environmental stimulus, such as a shift in pH or temperature (Rodriguez-Hernandez et ah, 2005). Polypeptide block copolymers may also be used as model systems to study generic self-assembly processes in natural proteins. Obviously, such materials could be of significant interest for a variety of biomedical and bioanalytical applications. 

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