The small intestinal submucosa (SIS) is an acellular collagen-based matrix, primarily composed of fibrillar collagens (types I, II, and V). They enhance healing due to a minimal immune response. A good degradation rate is the degradation of materials equal to the rate of remodeling in the host. The SIS should apply a good degradation rate and cytocompatibility. In this study, a series of SIS wi...

The goal of this study was to obtain a complete description of the elastic modulus and hysteresis of the mantle tissue of the squid Loligo pealei over the entire functional region of the mantle. In addition, in vivo strains were measured to allow calculations of the amount of energy stored and returned in each region of the mantle studied, and microscopic analysis of the tissue was carried out ...

Two multifunctional cyanate ester based composites with nanofillers of core-shell microstructures were synthesized and investigated for dielectric, mechanical, and other particular properties for the application of multifunctional structural capacitors. The weight reduction and device integration in spacecraft can contribute to significant energy saving by employing multifunctional structural c...

The mechanical relaxation behavior and microstructure of a series of novel norbornylPOSS organic-inorganic copolymers have been investigated. We have examined the influence on physical properties of both the weight fraction of POSS-norbornyl monomer and the corner group composition. POSS refers to the polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane inorganic/organic macromer, which is composed of an inorg...

The recent interest in nanotechnology has triggered research on nanofibers and nanostructures. Here we present our work on fiber-based multifunctional materials including nanofibers obtained via electrospinning processes. Such nanofibers are of potential value given the highly porous structures they form and their large surface area-to-volume ratio which is often required in high performance ap...

Our goal is to describe a specific case of a general process gaining traction amongst biologists: testing biological hypotheses with biomimetic structures that operate in bioinspired robots. As an example, we present MARMT (mobile autonomous robot for mechanical testing), a surface-swimmer that undulates a submerged biomimetic tail to power cruising and accelerations. Our goal was to test the h...

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films form a critical protective layer on magnetic hard disks and their reading heads. Film thickness below 2 nm and roughness well below 1 nm are needed for storage density of 200 Gbityinch . We use atomic force 2 microscopy to study the roughness evolution vs. thickness of highly sp hydrogen-free tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C). The 3 roughness of films r general...

In this research work, poly (acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene)/polypropylene (ABS/PP) blends were processed by melt compounding in a twin-screw extruder. Upgrading of the thermal characteristics of the obtained materials was attempted by the incorporation of organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT), as well as, by the addition of two types of compatibilizers; polypropylene grafted with maleic ...

Multiphoton microscopy of collagen hydrogels produces second harmonic generation (SHG) and two-photon fluorescence (TPF) images, which can be used to noninvasively study gel microstructure at depth ( approximately 1 mm). The microstructure is also a primary determinate of the mechanical properties of the gel; thus, we hypothesized that bulk optical properties (i.e., SHG and TPF) could be used t...

The aim of this study was, for the first time, to measure and compare quantitatively the viscoelastic properties and surface roughness of coronary arteries. Porcine left anterior descending coronary arteries were dissected ex vivo. Viscoelastic properties were measured longitudinally using dynamic mechanical analysis, for a range of frequencies from 0.5 to 10 Hz. Surface roughness was calculate...