Oligomers containing the peptide sequence cysteine-any-cysteine (CXC) were attached, at specific locations, to a linear chain of polystyrene. The polymer-bound peptide motifs were then oxidized under dilute conditions to afford a complex bio-hybrid bi-cyclic topology via intramolecular twin disulfide bridge formation.

Hydrogels with organized structure have attracted remarkable attentions for bio-related applications. Among the preparation of hierarchical hydrogel materials, fabrication of hydrogel with multi-layers is an important branch. Although the generation mechanism of layers had been fully discussed, sub-layer structure was not sufficiently studied. In this research, multi-layered chitosan hydrogel w...

In this work we present the design, fabrication and characterization of polymer-based soft, stretchable and conductive biointerfaces for achieving both mechanical stimulation of cells and recording of their response. These biointerfaces represent the very first step for investigating potential bio-hybrid skin-like tactile sensing approaches. Cells transform mechanical stimuli into biological an...

Slow-light enhanced absorption in liquid-infiltrated photonic crystals has recently been proposed as a route to compensate for the reduced optical path in typical lab-on-a-chip systems for bio-chemical sensing applications. A simple perturbative expression has been applied to ideal structures composed of lossless dielectrics. In this work we study the enhancement in structures composed of lossy...

The fabrication of the Guided Tissue Regeneration (GTR) membrane materials have become the key technique of the tissue engineering scaffold study. The cells adhere well on the fibers whose dimension is below their own so that the porous three dimension scaffold material can mimic the strueture of the natural extracellular matrix better and have the potential to be an ideal GTR membrane material...

Professor Matthew Tirrell is the founding Pritzker Director of the Institute for Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago. He received a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University, and he received a PhD in Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Massachusetts. Prof. Tirrell began his academic career at the University of Minnesota in Chemical Engineer...

Some studies on the fabrication of micro-needles, micro-pillers, and micro-channels using SU-8 negative photoresist for MEMS and bio-applications are reported. The SU-8 processing technology was standardized for the purpose. Micro-pillars were fabricated on SU-8 polymer by soft lithographic technique. Micro-needles were realized on SU-8 film utilizing lensing effect of the etched groove structu...

Here, we show that a poly(ethylene oxide) polymer can be physically cross-linked with silicate nanoparticles (Laponite) to yield highly extensible, bio-nanocomposite fibers that, upon pulling, stretch to extreme lengths and crystallize polymer chains. We find that both, nanometer structures and mechanical properties of the fibers respond to mechanical deformation by exhibiting strain-induced cr...

A new class of hierarchically structured polymer optical materials possessing an internal refractive index gradient that mimics biological optical materials is described. The new materials permit the fabrication of gradient refractive index (GRIN) lenses with an unprecedented variety of index gradients. Gradients with different functional forms in both the radial and axial directions have been ...

Bio-based plastics were designed to replace single-use and cause less post-consumer environmental damage. This paper assesses the weathering of four bio-based polymers created by ring opening polymerization (ROP) promoted a previously reported Ti-based catalyst, detect any problems before production was scaled up. Samples aged in seawater identify degradation products monitor structural changes...