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Bioinspired materials are synthetic materials whose structure, properties or function mimic those of natural materials or living matter. Examples of bioinspired materials are light-harvesting photonic materials that mimic photosynthesis, structural composites that imitate the structure of nacre, and metal actuators inspired by the movements of jellyfish.
Natural materials exhibit compelling functionalities owing to their irregular architectures, but the study on irregular architected materials is elusive. Here the authors report a generative computational framework to virtually grow irregular materials with optimized properties that match target stress distributions, facilitating tissue support for orthopedic femur restoration.
3D printing of functional gradients often requires specialized equipment and costly materials, constraining scalability. Here, using a conventional desktop FDM printer, authors present a 3D printing strategy using a filament that is itself 3D-printed to produce functional gradients.
Peptide condensates are known to regulate compartmentalized enzymatic reactions, however, the influence of condensate chemical composition on enzymatic reactions is still poorly understood. Here, the authors study β-galactosidase as a simple enzymatic model and reveal that product formation is enhanced in heterotypic peptide-RNA condensates, but the reaction is restricted in homotypic peptide condensates.
Near-infrared-I/II fluorescent proteins (NIR-I/II FPs) are crucial for in vivo imaging, but their availability is still scarce. Here, the authors make use of protein-seeking NIR-II dyes as chromophores, which covalently bind to tag proteins and thus creating biomimetic NIR-II FPs.
The cryopreservation of biological samples is hindered by ice formation and the need to maintain samples under cryogenic conditions during storage and transportation. Silicification offers a simple method for preserving life within refractory, amorphous silicon dioxide, which is analogous to vitreous ice but does not melt and thereby avoids cold-chain issues.
By drawing inspiration from ion transport in biology, researchers have developed highly selective channels for the separation and enrichment of Li+ ions from complex aqueous solutions.
The balance of ‘outside–in’ and ‘inside–out’ signaling is critical in tissue development and regeneration. This Comment highlights emerging strategies to engineer and manipulate this delicate equilibrium and fine-tune cellular responses using complementary tools in biomaterials design and synthetic biology.
Drawing inspiration from helical structures in nature, researchers have developed a cobalt-based complex able to twist and untwist, converting between nanohelix and nanowire structures.