Dynamic soft materials that have the ability to expand and contract, change stiffness, self-heal or dissolve in response to environmental changes, are of great interest in applications ranging from biosensing and drug delivery to soft robotics and tissue engineering. This book covers the state-of-the-art and current trends in the very active and exciting field of bioinspired soft matter, its fundamentals and comprehension from the structural-property point of view, as well as materials and cutting-edge technologies that enable their design, fabrication, advanced characterization and underpin their biomedical applications. The book contents are supported by illustrated examples, schemes, and figures, offering a comprehensive and thorough overview of key aspects of soft matter. The book will provide a trusted resource for undergraduate and graduate students and will extensively benefit researchers and professionals working across the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, polymer chemistry, materials science and engineering, nanosciences, nanotechnologies, nanomedicine, biomedical engineering and medical sciences.

This book addresses new challenges in soft matter and colloids. It presents timely reports on colloidal self-assembly, soft matters from liquid crystals, nanoparticles in liquid crystals, hydrocolloids, hybrid nanosystems, nanosuspensions, and dispersion of nanoparticles in different media, soft matter processing and modern experiments related with soft matters.

Dynamic soft materials that have the ability to expand and contract, change stiffness, self-heal or dissolve in response to environmental changes, are of great interest in applications ranging from biosensing and drug delivery to soft robotics and tissue engineering. This book covers the state-of-the-art and current trends in the very active and exciting field of bioinspired soft matter, its fundamentals and comprehension from the structural-property point of view, as well as materials and cutting-edge technologies that enable their design, fabrication, advanced characterization and underpin their biomedical applications. The book contents are supported by illustrated examples, schemes, and figures, offering a comprehensive and thorough overview of key aspects of soft matter. The book will provide a trusted resource for undergraduate and graduate students and will extensively benefit researchers and professionals working across the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, polymer chemistry, materials science and engineering, nanosciences, nanotechnologies, nanomedicine, biomedical engineering and medical sciences.

Nanoparticles are attractive for many biomedical applications such as imaging, therapeutics and diagnostics. This new book looks at different soft nanoparticles and their current and potential uses in medicine and health including magnetoliposomes, micro/nanogels, polymeric micelles, DNA particles, dendrimers and bicelles. Each chapter provides a description of the synthesis of the particles and focus on the techniques used to characterize the size, shape, surface charge, internal structure, and surface microstructure of the nanoparticles together with modeling and simulation methods. By giving a strong physical-chemical approach to the topic, readers will gain a good background into the subject and an overview of recent developments. The multidisciplinary point of view makes the book suitable for postgraduate students and researchers in physics, chemistry, and biology interested in soft matter and its uses.

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are an emerging class of smart polymers which give scientists the ability to process the material into a permanent state and predefine a second temporary state which can be triggered by different stimuli. The changing chemistries of SMPs allows scientists to tailor important properties such as strength, stiffness, elasticity and expansion rate. Consequently SMPs are being increasingly used and developed for minimally invasive applications where the material can expand and develop post insertion. This book will provide readers with a comprehensive review of shape memory polymer technologies. Part 1 will discuss the fundamentals and mechanical aspects of SMPs. Chapters in part 2 will look at the range of technologies and materials available for scientific manipulation whilst the final set of chapters will review applications. - Reviews the fundamentals of shape memory polymers with chapters focussing on the basic principles of the materials - Comprehensive coverage of design and mechanical aspects of SMPs - Expert analysis of the range of technologies and materials available for scientific manipulation

Symposium V, 'Harnessing Instabilities in Soft Material Films and Interfaces', Symposium NN, 'Biomineralization and Bioinspired Inorganic and Inorganic/Organic Materials', Symposium OO, 'Multiscale Mechanics of Hierarchical Biological, Bioinspried, and Biomedical Materials', and Symposium PP, 'Materials and Sensors for Biomedical Applications', were held Nov. 29-Dec. 3 at the 2010 MRS Fall Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. This volume contains the joint proceedings based on these four symposia. Although organized by separate teams of scientific and engineering researchers, these symposia explore a common theme of how biological and soft material properties may be harnessed to build new structural features or elicit useful structural responses, either to understand the fundamental chemistry and mechanical principles, or to design practical sensors and metrology tools. Challenges in this field are best addressed by interdisciplinary collaborations and communication between various science and engineering disciplines. Building such collaborations was a primary goal of all of the symposia represented in this volume.

Explore a comprehensive, one-stop reference on biological soft matter written and edited by leading voices in the field Biological Soft Matter: Fundamentals, Properties and Applications delivers a unique and indispensable compilation of up-to-date knowledge and material on biological soft matter. The book presents a thorough overview about biological soft matter, beginning with different substance classes, including proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and polysaccharides. It goes on to describe a variety of superstructures and aggregated and how they are formed by self-assembly processes like protein folding or crystallization. The distinguished editors have included materials with a special emphasis on macromolecular assembly, including how it applies to lipid membranes, DNA condensation, and DNA fibrillization. Biological Soft Matter is a crucial resource for anyone working in the field, compiling information about all important substance classes and their respective roles in forming superstructures. The book is ideal for beginners and experts alike and makes the perfect guide for chemists, physicists, and life scientists with an interest in the area. Readers will also benefit from the inclusion of: An introduction to DNA nano-engineering and DNA-driven nanoparticle assembly Explorations of polysaccharides and glycoproteins, engineered biopolymers, and engineered hydrogels Discussions of macromolecular assemblies, including liquid membranes and small molecule inhibitors for amyloid aggregation A treatment of inorganic nanomaterials as promoters and inhibitors of amyloid fibril formation An examination of a wide variety of natural and artificial polymers Perfect for materials scientists, biochemists, polymer chemists, and protein chemists, Biological Soft Matter: Fundamentals, Properties and Applications will also earn a place in the libraries of biophysicists and physical chemists seeking a one-stop reference summarizing the rapidly evolving topic of biological soft matter.

Surface modification of biomaterials can ultimately determine whether a material is accepted or rejected from the human body, and a responsive surface can further make the material "smart" and "intelligent". Switchable and Responsive Surfaces and Materials for Biomedical Applications outlines synthetic and biological materials that are responsive under different stimuli, their surface design and modification techniques, and applicability in regenerative medicine/tissue engineering, drug delivery, medical devices, and biomedical diagnostics. Part one provides a detailed overview of switchable and responsive materials and surfaces, exploring thermo-responsive polymers, environmentally responsive polyelectrolytes and zwitterionic polymers, as well as peptide-based and photonic sensitive switchable materials. Further chapters include a detailed overview of the preparation and analysis of switchable polymer brushes and copolymers for biomedical application. Part two explores the biological interactions and biomedical applications of switchable surfaces, where expert analysis is provided on the interaction of switchable surfaces with proteins and cells. The interaction of stimuli-sensitive polymers for tissue engineering and drug delivery with biosurfaces is critiqued, whilst the editor provides a skillful study into the application of responsive polymers in implantable medical devices and biosensors. - A comprehensive overview of switchable and responsive materials and surfaces - Includes in depth analysis of thermo-responsive polymers, photonic sensitive materials and peptide-based surfaces - Detailed exploration of biological interactions of responsive and switchable surfaces, covering stimuli-sensitive polymers for drug delivery, surfaces with proteins/cells and application of polymers in medical devices

Soft matter (polymers, colloids, surfactants and liquid crystals) are an important class of materials in modern technology. They also form the basis of many future technologies, for example in medical and environmental applications. Soft matter shows complex behaviour between fluids and solids, and used to be a synonym of complex materials. Due to the developments of the past two decades, soft condensed matter can now be discussed on the same sound physical basis as solid condensed matter. The purpose of this book is to provide an overview of soft matter for undergraduate and graduate students in physics and materials science. The book provides an introduction to soft matter (what it is, and what are the characteristics of such materials), and also provides the reader with the physical basis for understanding and discussing such characteristics in more detail. Many basic concepts, which are required in advanced courses of condensed matter physics, such as coarse graining, scaling, phase separation, order-disorder transition, Brownian motion, and fluctuation-dissipation theorem, are explained in detail with various forms of soft matter used as examples.

The study of "soft matter" materials with complex properties has raised a number of interesting problems in basic physics, biology, and materials science, all of which promise new and important technological applications. After a review of chemical bonds and phase transitions, the authors treat topics such as surface phenomena, stability of colloidal systems, structural properties of polymers, and topological defects. The monograph's emphasis on underlying physical principles offers a coherent treatment of the great variety of research in the field.