Soft materials, biomimetic

Kushner AM, Guan ZB (2011) Modular design in natural and biomimetic soft materials. Angew Chem Int Ed 50(39) 9026-9057... 

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. 

Self-Oscillating Cels as Biomimetic Soft Materials... 

Lamberti, F., Giulitti, S., Giomo, M., Elvassore, N., 2013. Biosensing with electroconductive biomimetic soft materials. Journal of Materials Chemistry B 1, 5083—5091. 

Although the feasibility of aqueous lubrication with elastomers and hydrogels has been established, the poor mechanical properties and wear resistance of soft materials have been limiting factors for applications. However, it has been shown that the mechanical properties of hydrogels can be improved to a similar level as those of elastomers 17). Thus, there is hope that hydrogels can be used in applications where mechanical strength is required. The practical implementation of biomimetic, aqueous lubrication approaches may become a reaUty in the not-too-distant future. 

In the light of the above-mentioned nonexhaustive list of examples, MOFs are used in the fine chemical synthesis either as self-supported catalysts or as catalyst carriers in a ship-in-a-hotth concept by encapsulation or grafting of active species. However, we need to look critically at the possibility to generalize these key examples in order to design ideal and universal hybrid catalysts. The development of future applications of these functionalized solids requires taking into account the synthetic limitations of MOF materials and, motivated by early examples of homochiral MOF catalysts (Section 10.4), it seems necessary to focus efforts toward soft reaction conditions and sophisticated biomimetic applications. 

Otero, T.F., S. Villanueva, M.T. Cortfe, S.A. Cheng, A. Vazquez, I. Boyano, D. Alonso, and R. Camargo. 2001. Electrochemistry and conducting polymers Soft wet, multifunctional and biomimetic materials. Synth Met 119 419. 

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