Effect of Graphene Composite on Biological Egg Protein Resistance Switching Memory Properties

In this work, a resistive switching memory device was fabricated based on egg protein, a natural biomaterial. The effect of graphene composite on the resistive switching characteristics of the device was investigated. The experimental results show that both pure egg protein and graphene composite devices exhibit bipolar nonvolatile resistive conversion properties. Both devices have good data retention capability. Furthermore, the composite of graphene can effectively improve the device endurance and the consistency of the on-state current distribution of the device. Based on the theory of capture and de-capture of charge carrier, the mechanism of resistive switching is analyzed.

A Comprehensive Understanding on Sewability of Natural Biomaterial: An Insight on Process Optimization during Leather Manufacture

Leather is three-dimensional matrix possessing unique properties which makes it more comfortable for daily use. Garments made from leathers are preferred choice owing to their multifaceted properties as compared to textiles in the colder regions. In the present study, an attempt has been made to evaluate the influence of phenolic syntan and synthetic fatliquor on the sewability and physical properties of post tanned leathers. From the experimental results, it is observed that the concentration of phenolic syntan and fatliquor influences leather sewability. Optical microscopic images of leathers also show that they are more compact and tighter with higher percentage of syntan. The study provides an insight in understanding the optimum usage of post tanning chemicals for better sewing properties without affecting the leather matrix adversely.

Fabrication of Flexible pH-Responsive Agarose/Succinoglycan Hydrogels for Controlled Drug Release

Agarose/succinoglycan hydrogels were prepared as pH-responsive drug delivery systems with significantly improved flexibility, thermostability, and porosity compared to agarose gels alone. Agarose/succinoglycan hydrogels were made using agarose and succinoglycan, a polysaccharide directly isolated from Sinorhizobium meliloti. Mechanical and physical properties of agarose/succinoglycan hydrogels were investigated using various instrumental methods such as rheological measurements, attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopic analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The results showed that the agarose/succinoglycan hydrogels became flexible and stable network gels with an improved swelling pattern in basic solution compared to the hard and brittle agarose gel alone. In addition, these hydrogels showed a pH-responsive delivery of ciprofloxacin (CPFX), with a cumulative release of ~41% within 35 h at pH 1.2 and complete release at pH 7.4. Agarose/succinoglycan hydrogels also proved to be non-toxic as a result of the cell cytotoxicity test, suggesting that these hydrogels would be a potential natural biomaterial for biomedical applications such as various drug delivery system and cell culture scaffolds.

Applications of Human Amniotic Membrane for Tissue Engineering

An important component of tissue engineering (TE) is the supporting matrix upon which cells and tissues grow, also known as the scaffold. Scaffolds must easily integrate with host tissue and provide an excellent environment for cell growth and differentiation. Human amniotic membrane (hAM) is considered as a surgical waste without ethical issue, so it is a highly abundant, cost-effective, and readily available biomaterial. It has biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, adequate mechanical properties (permeability, stability, elasticity, flexibility, resorbability), and good cell adhesion. It exerts anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, and antimutagenic properties and pain-relieving effects. It is also a source of growth factors, cytokines, and hAM cells with stem cell properties. This important source for scaffolding material has been widely studied and used in various areas of tissue repair: corneal repair, chronic wound treatment, genital reconstruction, tendon repair, microvascular reconstruction, nerve repair, and intraoral reconstruction. Depending on the targeted application, hAM has been used as a simple scaffold or seeded with various types of cells that are able to grow and differentiate. Thus, this natural biomaterial offers a wide range of applications in TE applications. Here, we review hAM properties as a biocompatible and degradable scaffold. Its use strategies (i.e., alone or combined with cells, cell seeding) and its degradation rate are also presented.

Natural biomaterial sarcosine as an interfacial layer enables inverted organic solar cells exhibiting over 16.4% efficiency

The natural biomaterial sarcosine as the electron transport layer (ETL) to modify ITO or ITO/ZnO was successfully introduced into the inverted OSCs with PM6:BTP-BO-4Cl as the active layers. The introduction...

Progress in Preparation of Silk Fibroin Microspheres for Biomedical Applications

: As a natural biomaterial, silk fibroin (SF) holds great potential in biomedical applications with its broad availability, good biocompatibility, high mechanical strength, ease of fabrication, and controlled degradation. With emerging fabrication methods, nanoand microspheres made from SF have brought about unique opportunities in drug delivery, cell culture, and tissue engineering. For these applications, the size and distribution of silk fibroin particles (SFPs) are critical and require precise control during fabrication. Herein, we review common and emerging SFPs fabrication methods and their biomedical applications, and also the challenges and opportunities for SFPs in the near future. : Lay Summary: The application of silk in textile has an extraordinarily long history and new biomedical applications emerged owing to the good biocompatibility and versatile fabrication options of its major protein component, silk fibroin. With the development of nanotechnology and microfabrication, silk fibroin has been fabricated into nano- or microspheres with precisely controlled shape and distribution. In this review, we summarize common and emerging silk fibroin particle fabrication methods and their biomedical applications, and also discuss their challenges and opportunities in the nearest future.