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Mechanical Behavior of Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomaterials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2023) | Viewed by 11953

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Guangkui Xu

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
Interests: mechanical behavior; biomaterials; bioinspired materials; biomimetic materials; polymers; soft materials; mechanical characterization; mechanics of hydrogel; theory and simulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our privilege to invite you to submit a manuscript for the upcoming Special Issue of Materials (IF: 3.623, ISSN 1996-1944), entitled “Mechanical Behavior of Biological and Bio-inspired Materials”.

The field researching the mechanics of biological and bioinspired materials has undergone an exciting development over recent decades, which makes it stand at the cutting edge of the fields of mechanics, materials, biology, and medicine. As an intriguing interdisciplinary research field, it aims to elucidate the fundamental principles in nature's design of strong, multi-functional and smart materials by focusing on the assembly, deformation, stability and failure of the materials. These principles should have wide applications in not only material sciences and mechanical engineering but also biomedical engineering. For instance, the knowledge on mechanical principles of biological materials is very helpful for addressing some major challenges in material sciences and engineering. They also have the potential to provide a quantitative understanding about how forces and deformation affect human beings’ health, diseases and treatment at the tissue, cellular and molecular levels.

Original papers and reviews dealing with the latest findings in the mechanical behavior of biological and bioinspired materials are all welcome. The type of material and application may be among the ones cited above or covered by the keywords (though not exclusively).

Prof. Dr. Guangkui Xu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

mechanical behavior
biomaterials
bioinspired materials
biomimetic materials
polymers
soft materials
mechanical characterization
mechanics of hydrogel
theory and simulation

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 7462 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanical Resistance and Tissue Structure of Claw Denticles of Various Sizes in the Mud Crab, Scylla serrata

by Tadanobu Inoue, Yuka Hara and Koji Nakazato

Materials 2023, 16(11), 4114; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16114114 - 31 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1339

Abstract

Decapod crustaceans have tooth-like denticles on their claw fingers, which come into direct contact with predators and prey. Since the denticles are subject to more frequent and intense stress than other parts of the exoskeleton, they must be especially resistant to wear and abrasion. We clarified the mechanical resistance and tissue structure of the denticles arranged in a line on the fixed finger of the mud crab, which has huge claws. The denticles of the mud crab are small at the fingertip and become larger closer to the palm. The denticles have a twisted-plywood-pattern structure stacked parallel to the surface regardless of size, but the abrasion resistance strongly depends on the size of the denticles. Due to the dense tissue structure and calcification, the abrasion resistance increases as the denticle size increases, reaching its maximum at the denticle surface. The denticles of the mud crab have a tissue structure that prevents them from breaking when pinched. The high abrasion resistance of the large denticle surface is an essential feature for the frequent crushing of shellfish, which is the mud crab’s staple food. The characteristics and tissue structure of the claw denticles on the mud crab may provide ideas for developing stronger, tougher materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Behavior of Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials)

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15 pages, 8380 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Antimicrobial Properties of TiNbSn Alloys Anodized in a Sulfuric Acid Electrolyte

by Yu Mori, Satoko Fujimori, Hiroaki Kurishima, Hiroyuki Inoue, Keiko Ishii, Maya Kubota, Kazuyoshi Kawakami, Naoko Mori, Toshimi Aizawa and Naoya Masahashi

Materials 2023, 16(4), 1487; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16041487 - 10 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1402

Abstract

TiNbSn alloy is a high-performance titanium alloy which is biosafe, strong, and has a low Young’s modulus. TiNbSn alloy has been clinically applied as a material for orthopedic prosthesis. Anodized TiNbSn alloys with acetic and sulfuric acid electrolytes have excellent biocompatibility for osseointegration. Herein, TiNbSn alloy was anodized in a sulfuric acid electrolyte to determine the antimicrobial activity. The photocatalytic activities of the anodic oxide alloys were investigated based on their electronic band structure and crystallinity. In addition, the cytotoxicity of the anodized TiNbSn alloy was evaluated using cell lines of the osteoblast and fibroblast lineages. The antimicrobial activity of the anodic oxide alloy was assessed according to the ISO 27447 using methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. The anodic oxide comprised rutile and anatase titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and exhibited a porous microstructure. A well-crystallized rutile TiO₂ phase was observed in the anodized TiNbSn alloy. The methylene blue degradation tests under ultraviolet illumination exhibited photocatalytic activity. In antimicrobial tests, the anodized TiNbSn alloy exhibited robust antimicrobial activities under ultraviolet illumination for all bacterial species, regardless of drug resistance. Therefore, the anodized TiNbSn alloy can be used as a functional biomaterial with low Young’s modulus and excellent antimicrobial activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Behavior of Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials)

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18 pages, 7657 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of a Computational Model of the Mechanical Behavior of the L4–L5 Lumbar Spine: Application to Disc Degeneration

by Galina Eremina, Alexey Smolin, Jing Xie and Vladimir Syrkashev

Materials 2022, 15(19), 6684; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15196684 - 26 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2075

Abstract

Degenerative changes in the lumbar spine significantly reduce the quality of life of people. In order to fully understand the biomechanics of the affected spine, it is crucial to consider the biomechanical alterations caused by degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD). Therefore, this study is aimed at the development of a discrete element model of the mechanical behavior of the L4–L5 spinal motion segment, which covers all the degeneration grades from healthy IVD to its severe degeneration, and numerical study of the influence of the IVD degeneration on stress state and biomechanics of the spine. In order to analyze the effects of IVD degeneration on spine biomechanics, we simulated physiological loading conditions using compressive forces. The results of modeling showed that at the initial stages of degenerative changes, an increase in the amplitude and area of maximum compressive stresses in the disc is observed. At the late stages of disc degradation, a decrease in the value of intradiscal pressure and a shift in the maximum compressive stresses in the dorsal direction is observed. Such an influence of the degradation of the geometric and mechanical parameters of the tissues of the disc leads to the effect of bulging, which in turn leads to the formation of an intervertebral hernia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Behavior of Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials)

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15 pages, 4406 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preparation and Band Gap Characteristics of Composite Film/Substrate Instability System

by Huan Lv, Jiaming Deng, Yi Ren, Hao Zhang, Wang Zhang, Mangong Zhang, Haidong Liu and Bin Gu

Materials 2022, 15(18), 6248; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15186248 - 08 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1390

Abstract

Soft materials such as biological tissues are prone to deformation and generate different stable structures under external stimulation. This property is widely used to create tunable patterns, and the tuning of the wrinkling patterns can be applied to the control of elastic waves. In this paper, the wrinkling modes of film/substrate systems with different geometric dimensions and material parameters were studied. It is verified by numerical simulation that the elastic wave band gaps corresponding to the two wrinkling modes can be effectively superposed in one system, and the experimental samples with two wrinkling modes coexisting in one system were prepared by parameter optimization and a moisture-curing process. A vibration test showed that the hybrid system could effectively suppress the propagation of elastic waves. Combined with engineering needs, the wrinkling system under different loading conditions was studied, which provides a design guide for widening and regulating the elastic wave band gap. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Behavior of Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials)

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17 pages, 55930 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biphasic Properties of PVAH (Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogel) Reflecting Biomechanical Behavior of the Nucleus Pulposus of the Human Intervertebral Disc

by Minhyeok Heo and Seonghun Park

Materials 2022, 15(3), 1125; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15031125 - 31 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2630

Abstract

PVAH is a mixture of solid and fluid, but its mechanical behavior has usually been described using solid material models. The purpose of this study was to obtain material properties that can reflect the mechanical behavior of polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel (PVAH) using finite element analysis, a biphasic continuum model, and to optimize the composition ratio of PVAH to replace the nucleus pulposus (NP) of the human intervertebral disc. Six types of PVAH specimens (3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20 wt%) were prepared, then unconfined compression experiments were performed to acquire their material properties using the Holmes–Mow biphasic model. With an increasing weight percentage of PVA in PVAH, the Young’s modulus increased while the permeability parameter decreased. The Young’s modulus and permeability parameter were similar to those of the NP at 15 wt% and 20 wt%. The range of motion, facet joint force, and NP pressures measured from dynamic motional analysis of the lumbar segments with the NP model also exhibited similar values to those with 15~20 wt% PVAH models. Considering the structural stability and pain of the lumbar segments, it appears that 20 wt% PVAH is most suitable for replacing the NP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Behavior of Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials)

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Review

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19 pages, 1550 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Clinical Use of Osteobiologic and Metallic Biomaterials in Orthopedic Surgery: The Present and the Future

by Sung-ryul Choi, Ji-won Kwon, Kyung-soo Suk, Hak-sun Kim, Seong-hwan Moon, Si-young Park and Byung Ho Lee

Materials 2023, 16(10), 3633; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16103633 - 10 May 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2269

Abstract

As the area and range of surgical treatments in the orthopedic field have expanded, the development of biomaterials used for these treatments has also advanced. Biomaterials have osteobiologic properties, including osteogenicity, osteoconduction, and osteoinduction. Natural polymers, synthetic polymers, ceramics, and allograft-based substitutes can all be classified as biomaterials. Metallic implants are first-generation biomaterials that continue to be used and are constantly evolving. Metallic implants can be made from pure metals, such as cobalt, nickel, iron, or titanium, or from alloys, such as stainless steel, cobalt-based alloys, or titanium-based alloys. This review describes the fundamental characteristics of metals and biomaterials used in the orthopedic field and new developments in nanotechnology and 3D-printing technology. This overview discusses the biomaterials that clinicians commonly use. A complementary relationship between doctors and biomaterial scientists is likely to be necessary in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Behavior of Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials)

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