Journal Home > Volume 17 , Issue 2
Nano Research 2024, 17(2): 633-648 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-6141-9
Review Article | Issue | Published: 10 October 2023

Bioinspired nanocomposites with self-adaptive mechanical properties

Show Author's Information Grant Kitchen1,3,  Bohan Sun2,3,  Sung Hoon Kang2,3( )
3400 N Charles St, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 21218, USA
3400 N Charles St, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 21218, USA
3400 N Charles St, Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 21218, USA
Keywords:
nanocomposites, bioinspired materials, resilience, self-adaptive materials, force-activated
Topics:
Biomimetic materials
Cite this article:
Kitchen G, Sun B, Kang SH. Bioinspired nanocomposites with self-adaptive mechanical properties. Nano Research, 2024, 17(2): 633-648. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-6141-9
Download citation
EndNote(RIS)
BibTeX

440

Views

53

Downloads

Citations

2

Crossref

0

WoS

1

Scopus

0

CSCD

Abstract Full text About this article

Conventional synthetic materials have fixed mechanical properties and suffer defects, damage, and degradation over time. This makes them unable to adapt to changing environments and leads to limited lifecycles. Recently, self-adaptive materials inspired by natural materials have emerged as a solution to address these problems. With the ability to change their mechanical properties based on changing mechanical environments, repairing defects, and maintaining their mechanical properties, these materials can lead to improved performance while decreasing waste. In this review, we explore self-adaptive phenomena found in nature that have inspired the development of synthetic self-adaptive materials, and the mechanisms that have been employed to create the next generation of materials. The potential applications of these materials, the challenges that existing approaches face, and future research opportunities are also discussed.


menu
Abstract
Full text
Outline
About this article

Bioinspired nanocomposites with self-adaptive mechanical properties

Show Author's information Grant Kitchen1,3, Bohan Sun2,3, Sung Hoon Kang2,3( )
3400 N Charles St, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 21218, USA
3400 N Charles St, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 21218, USA
3400 N Charles St, Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 21218, USA

Abstract

Conventional synthetic materials have fixed mechanical properties and suffer defects, damage, and degradation over time. This makes them unable to adapt to changing environments and leads to limited lifecycles. Recently, self-adaptive materials inspired by natural materials have emerged as a solution to address these problems. With the ability to change their mechanical properties based on changing mechanical environments, repairing defects, and maintaining their mechanical properties, these materials can lead to improved performance while decreasing waste. In this review, we explore self-adaptive phenomena found in nature that have inspired the development of synthetic self-adaptive materials, and the mechanisms that have been employed to create the next generation of materials. The potential applications of these materials, the challenges that existing approaches face, and future research opportunities are also discussed.

Keywords: nanocomposites, bioinspired materials, resilience, self-adaptive materials, force-activated

References(55)

[1]

Agrawal, A.; Chipara, A. C.; Shamoo, Y.; Patra, P. K.; Carey, B. J.; Ajayan, P. M.; Chapman, W. G.; Verduzco, R. Dynamic self-stiffening in liquid crystal elastomers. Nat. Commun. 2013, 4, 1739.
DOI Google Scholar
[2]

Wang, Z.; Wang, J.; Ayarza, J.; Steeves, T.; Hu, Z. Y.; Manna, S.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Bio-inspired mechanically adaptive materials through vibration-induced crosslinking. Nat. Mater. 2021, 20, 869–874.
DOI Google Scholar
[3]

Hsu, L.; Weder, C.; Rowan, S. J. Stimuli-responsive, mechanically-adaptive polymer nanocomposites. J. Mater. Chem. 2011, 21, 2812–2822.
DOI Google Scholar
[4]

Sano, K.; Igarashi, N.; Ebina, Y.; Sasaki, T.; Hikima, T.; Aida, T.; Ishida, Y. A mechanically adaptive hydrogel with a reconfigurable network consisting entirely of inorganic nanosheets and water. Nat. Commun. 2020, 11, 6026.
DOI Google Scholar
[5]

Kouwer, P. H. J.; Koepf, M.; Le Sage, V. A. A.; Jaspers, M.; van Buul, A. M.; Eksteen-Akeroyd, Z. H.; Woltinge, T.; Schwartz, E.; Kitto, H. J.; Hoogenboom, R. et al. Responsive biomimetic networks from polyisocyanopeptide hydrogels. Nature 2013, 493, 651–655.
DOI Google Scholar
[6]

Cudjoe, E.; Khani, S.; Way, A. E., Hore, M. J. A.; Maia, J.; Rowan, S. J. Biomimetic reversible heat-stiffening polymer nanocomposites. ACS Cent. Sci. 2017, 3, 886–894.
DOI Google Scholar
[7]

Fernańdez-Castaño Romera, M.; Göstl, R.; Shaikh, H.; ter Huurne, G.; Schill, J.; Voets, I. K.; Storm, C.; Sijbesma, R. P. Mimicking active biopolymer networks with a synthetic hydrogel. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 1989–1997.
DOI Google Scholar
[8]

Huang, W. M.; Yang, B.; Zhao, Y.; Ding, Z. Thermo-moisture responsive polyurethane shape-memory polymer and composites: A review. J. Mater. Chem. 2010, 20, 3367–3381.
DOI Google Scholar
[9]

de Espinosa, L. M.; Meesorn, W.; Moatsou, D.; Weder, C. Bioinspired polymer systems with stimuli-responsive mechanical properties. Chem. Rev. 2017, 117, 12851–12892.
DOI Google Scholar
[10]

Xing, H.; Li, Z. T.; Wu, Z. L.; Huang, F. H. Catenane crosslinked mechanically adaptive polymer gel. Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2018, 39, 1700361.
DOI Google Scholar
[11]

Gernhardt, M.; Frisch, H.; Welle, A.; Jones, R.; Wegener, M.; Blasco, E.; Barner-Kowollik, C. Multi-material 3D microstructures with photochemically adaptive mechanical properties. J. Mater. Chem. C. 2020, 8, 10993–11000.
DOI Google Scholar
[12]

Yang, J. J.; Zhang, X. F.; Zhang, X.; Wang, L.; Feng, W.; Li, Q. Beyond the visible: Bioinspired infrared adaptive materials. Adv. Mater. 2021, 33, 2004754.
DOI Google Scholar
[13]

Gernhardt, M.; Blasco, E.; Hippler, M.; Blinco, J.; Bastmeyer, M.; Wegener, M.; Frisch, H.; Barner-Kowollik, C. Tailoring the mechanical properties of 3D microstructures using visible light post-manufacturing. Adv. Mater. 2019, 31, 1901269.
DOI Google Scholar
[14]

Hughes, T.; Simon, G. P.; Saito, K. Light-healable epoxy polymer networks via anthracene dimer scission of diamine crosslinker. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2019, 11, 19429–19443.
DOI Google Scholar
[15]

Scott, T. F.; Schneider, A. D.; Cook, W. D.; Bowman, C. N. Photoinduced plasticity in cross-linked polymers. Science 2005, 308, 1615–1617.
DOI Google Scholar
[16]

Shanmuganathan, K.; Capadona, J. R.; Rowan, S. J.; Weder, C. Biomimetic mechanically adaptive nanocomposites. Prog. Polym. Sci. 2010, 35, 212–222.
DOI Google Scholar
[17]

Wang, C.; Duan, Y. P.; Zacharia, N. S.; Vogt, B. D. A family of mechanically adaptive supramolecular graphene oxide/poly(ethylenimine) hydrogels from aqueous assembly. Soft Matter 2017, 13, 161–1170.
DOI Google Scholar
[18]

Mohapatra, H.; Kleiman, M.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Mechanically controlled radical polymerization initiated by ultrasound. Nat. Chem. 2017, 9, 135–139.
DOI Google Scholar
[19]

Orrego, S.; Chen, Z. Z.; Krekora, U.; Hou, D. C.; Jeon, S. Y.; Pittman, M.; Montoya, C.; Chen, Y.; Kang, S. H. Bioinspired materials with self-adaptable mechanical properties. Adv. Mater. 2020, 32, 1906970.
DOI Google Scholar
[20]

Matsuda, T.; Kawakami, R.; Namba, R.; Nakajima, T.; Gong, J. P. Mechanoresponsive self-growing hydrogels inspired by muscle training. Science 2019, 363, 504–508.
DOI Google Scholar
[21]

Ramirez, A. L.; Kean, Z. S.; Orlicki, J. A.; Champhekar, M.; Elsakr, S. M.; Krause, W. E.; Craig, S. L. Mechanochemical strengthening of a synthetic polymer in response to typically destructive shear forces. Nat. Chem. 2013, 5, 757–761.
DOI Google Scholar
[22]

Lin, S. T.; Liu, J.; Liu, X. Y.; Zhao, X. H. Muscle-like fatigue-resistant hydrogels by mechanical training. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2019, 116, 10244–10249.
DOI Google Scholar
[23]

Liu, Y.; Lin, S. H.; Chuang, W. T.; Dai, N. T.; Hsu, S. H. Biomimetic strain-stiffening in chitosan self-healing hydrogels. Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2022, 14, 16032–16046.
DOI Google Scholar
[24]

Carey, B.; Patra, P. K.; Ci, L. J.; Silva, G. G.; Ayajan, P. M. Observation of dynamic strain hardening in polymer nanocomposites. ACS Nano. 2011, 5, 2715–2722.
DOI Google Scholar
[25]

Ashby, M. F.; Shercliff, H.; Cebon, D. Materials: Engineering. Science, Processing and Design; 4th ed. Butterworth-Heinemann: Oxford 2018.
Google Scholar
[26]

Zhang, J.; Chen, B. Y.; Chen, X. Y.; Hou, X. Liquid-based adaptive structural materials. Adv. Mater. 2021, 33, 2005664.
DOI Google Scholar
[27]

Hamilton, A. R.; Sottos, N. R.; White, S. R. Mitigation of fatigue damage in self-healing vascular materials. Polymer 2012, 53, 5575–5581.
DOI Google Scholar
[28]

Brown, E. N.; White, S. R.; Sottos, N. R. Fatigue crack propagation in microcapsule-toughened epoxy. J. Mater. Sci. 2006, 41, 6266–6273.
DOI Google Scholar
[29]

Yun, G. L.; Cole, T.; Zhang, Y. X.; Zheng, J. H.; Sun, S. S.; Ou-Yang, Y. M.; Shu, J.; Lu, H. D.; Zhang, Q. T.; Wang, Y. J. et al. Electro-mechano responsive elastomers with self-tunable conductivity and stiffness. Sci. Adv. 2023, 9, eadf1141.
DOI Google Scholar
[30]

Duncan, R. L.; Turner, C. H. Mechanotransduction and the functional response of bone to mechanical strain. Calcif. Tissue Int. 1995, 57, 344–358.
DOI Google Scholar
[31]

Paluch, E. K.; Nelson, C. M.; Biais, N.; Fabry, B.; Moeller, J.; Pruitt, B. L.; Wollnik, C.; Kudryasheva, G.; Rehfeldt, F.; Federle, W. Mechanotransduction: Use the force(s). BMC Biol. 2015, 13, 47.
DOI Google Scholar
[32]

Huang, H.; Kamm, R. D.; Lee, R. T. Cell mechanics and mechanotransduction: Pathways, probes, and physiology. Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 2004, 287, C1–C11.
DOI Google Scholar
[33]

Keckes, J.; Burgert, I.; Frühmann, K.; Müller, M.; Kölln, K.; Hamilton, M.; Burghammer, M.; Roth, S. V.; Stanzl-Tschegg, S.; Fratzl, P. Cell-wall recovery after irreversible deformation of wood. Nat. Mater. 2003, 2, 810–813.
DOI Google Scholar
[34]

Madin, J. S.; Dell, A. I.; Madin, E. M. P.; Nash, M. C. Spatial variation in mechanical properties of coral reef substrate and implications for coral colony integrity. Coral Reefs 2013, 32, 173–179.
DOI Google Scholar
[35]

Patrick, J. F.; Robb, M. J.; Sottos, N. R.; Moore, J. S.; White, S. R. Polymers with autonomous lifecycle control. Nature 2016, 540, 363–370.
DOI Google Scholar
[36]

Wang, Z.; Ayarza, J.; Esser-Kahn, A. P. Mechanically initiated bulk-scale free-radical polymerization. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 12023–12026.
DOI Google Scholar
[37]

Kokubo, T.; Takadama, H. How useful is SBF in predicting in vivo bone bioactivity. Biomaterials 2006, 27, 2907–2915.
DOI Google Scholar
[38]

Vinogradov, A.; Holloway, F. Electro-mechanical properties of the piezoelectric polymer PVDF. Ferroelectrics 1999, 226, 169–181.
DOI Google Scholar
[39]

Tarasevich, B. J.; Howard, C. J.; Larson, J. L.; Snead, M. L.; Simmer, J. P.; Paine, M.; Shaw, W. J. The nucleation and growth of calcium phosphate by amelogenin. J. Cryst. Growth 2007, 304, 407–415.
DOI Google Scholar
[40]

Inskeep, W. P.; Silvertooth, J. C. Kinetics of hydroxyapatite precipitation at pH 7.4 to 8.4. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 1988, 52, 1883–1893.
DOI Google Scholar
[41]

Jacob, J.; More, N.; Kalia, K.; Kapusetti, G. Piezoelectric smart biomaterials for bone and cartilage tissue engineering. Inflamm. Regener. 2018, 38, 2.
DOI Google Scholar
[42]

Wu, C. M.; Chou, M. H.; Zeng, W. Y. Piezoelectric response of aligned electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride/carbon nanotube nanofibrous membranes. Nanomaterials 2018, 8, 420.
DOI Google Scholar
[43]

Fallon, J. J.; Kolb, B. Q.; Herwig, C. J.; Foster, E. J.; Bortner, M. J. Mechanically adaptive thermoplastic polyurethane/cellulose nanocrystal composites: Process-driven structure-property relationships. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 46992.
DOI Google Scholar
[44]

Wool, R. P. Self-healing materials: A review. Soft Matter 2008, 4, 400–418.
DOI Google Scholar
[45]

Coget, Y.; Demarty, Y.; Rusinek, A. Characterization of the mechanical behavior of a lead alloy, from quasi-static to dynamic loading for a wide range of temperatures. Materials 2020, 13, 2357.
DOI Google Scholar
[46]

Raffa, M. L.; Nguyen, V. H.; Hernigou, P.; Flouzat-Lachaniette, C. H.; Haiat, G. Stress shielding at the bone-implant interface: Influence of surface roughness and of the bone-implant contact ratio. J. Orthop. Res. 2021, 39, 1174–1183.
DOI Google Scholar
[47]

Prager, J.; Adams, C. F.; Delaney, A. M.; Chanoit, G.; Tarlton, J. F.; Wong, L. F.; Chari, D. M.; Granger, N. Stiffness-matched biomaterial implants for cell delivery: Clinical, intraoperative ultrasound elastography provides a ‘target’ stiffness for hydrogel synthesis in spinal cord injury. J. Tissue Eng. 2020, 11, 2041731420934806.
DOI Google Scholar
[48]

Trzepiecinski, T.; Gromada, M. Characterization of mechanical properties of barium titanate ceramics with different grain sizes. Mater. Sci. Pol. 2018, 36, 151–156.
DOI Google Scholar
[49]

Kanda, T.; Kobayashi, Y.; Kurosawa, M. K.; Yasui, H.; Higuchi, T. Estimation of hydrothermally deposited lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin-film. Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 2001, 40, 5543–5546.
DOI Google Scholar
[50]

Wu, Y. F.; Kim, G. Y.; Russell, A. M. Mechanical alloying of carbon nanotube and Al6061 powder for metal matrix composites. Mater. Sci. Eng. A. 2012, 532, 558–566.
DOI Google Scholar
[51]

Dadashi-Silab, S.; Matyjaszewski, K. Iron catalysts in atom transfer radical polymerization. Molecules 2020, 25, 1648.
DOI Google Scholar
[52]

Chang, B. S.; Tutika, R.; Cutinho, J.; Oyola-Reynoso, S.; Chen, J. H.; Bartlett, M. D.; Thuo, M. M. Mechanically triggered composite stiffness tuning through thermodynamic relaxation (ST3R). Mater. Horiz. 2018, 5, 416–422.
DOI Google Scholar
[53]

Zhang, H. L.; Li, J. J.; Chen, Y.; Wu, J. Y.; Wang, K.; Chen, L. J.; Wang, Y.; Jiang, X. W.; Liu, Y. Y.; Wu, Y. L. et al. Magneto-electrically enhanced intracellular catalysis of FePt-FeC heterostructures for chemodynamic therapy. Adv. Mater. 2021, 33, 2100472.
DOI Google Scholar
[54]

Wu, T.; Yu, S. H.; Chen, D. K.; Wang, Y. E. Bionic design, materials and performance of bone tissue scaffolds. Materials 2017, 10, 1187.
DOI Google Scholar
[55]

Zhou, Y.; Gu, C.; Liang, J. Z.; Zhang, B. H.; Yang, H. R.; Zhou, Z. T.; Li, M.; Sun, L. Y.; Tao, T. H.; Wei, X. L. A silk-based self-adaptive flexible opto-electro neural probe. Microsyst. Nanoeng. 2022, 8, 118.
DOI Google Scholar
Publication history
Copyright
Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 31 May 2023
Revised: 07 August 2023
Accepted: 30 August 2023
Published: 10 October 2023
Issue date: February 2024

Copyright

© Tsinghua University Press 2023

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (No. FA9550-21-1-0368, Program manager: Dr. Byung-Lip (Les) Lee), Hanwha Non-Tenured Faculty Award, and Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering Start-Up Fund. Any opinions, finding, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Air Force.

Return