Scaffolded materials nanomaterials

Here, the distinct domains of the resulting hybrid polymer are responsible for the self-assembly of the material. It should be noted that there are several other approaches to nanomaterials via ROMP, including the synthesis of dispersed latex nanoparticles, [29-34] hybrid nanoparticles via scaffolded initiation [35-39], and nanoparticles encapsulated in polymer matrices [40,41]. Amphiphilic micellar nanoparticles are by far the most prevalent systems in the literature relevant to a discussion of ROMP in nanoparticle synthesis, particularly those fully characterized in terms of particle formation and morphological characterization of the resulting polymer aggregates. Amphiphilic copolymers synthesized by ROMP that are not studied in this manner [42-45] or those nanoscale architectures involving only covalent interactions [46, 47] are not discussed here. 

Figure 4.1 The biomimetic advantages of nanomaterials. (a) The nanostructuied hierarchical self-assembly of bone, (b) Nanophase titanium (top, atomic force microscopy image) and nanocrystalline HA/ helical rosette nanombe (HRN) hydrogel scaffold (bottom, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image), (c) Schematic illustration of the mechanism by which nanomaterials may be superior to conventional materials for bone regeneration. The bioactive surfaces of nanomaterials mimic those of natural bones to promote greater amounts of protein adsorption and efficiently stimulate more new bone formation than conventional materials. Zhang, L., Webster, T.J., 2009. Nanotechnology and nanomaterials promises for improved tissue regeneration. Nano Today 4, 66-80.

Abstract Molecular self-assembly is a powerful approach being explored for novel supra-molecular nanostructures and bio-inspired nanomaterials. In this article, we focus on recent research concerning the self-assembly of de novo designed artificial peptides and peptidomimetics into nanofiber structures, specifically towards developing a new class of soft-materials. These nanofiber architectures have potential use not only in biomedical applications, such as 3D-matrix scaffolds for tissue engineering and biomineralization, but also in nanotechnology such as nano-templates and dimension-regulated functional nano-objects. 

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