Biomimetic Materials - The Design of Novel Materials by Modelling Processes found in Nature
- Chief Supervisor
- Dr AJ Hill (CSIRO)
- Centre Nodes
- CSIRO, ANSTO
In nature, living cells have the ability to build complex molecules and nanoscale organelles, and create non-living materials, such as tooth enamel, with nanoscale structures. Synthetic materials developed based on chemistry, structures, properties and processes found in Nature are called biomimetic materials. Expression and synthesis of elastomeric materials based on insect proteins hold great promise for the development of superior biomaterials or self healing materials. These superior materials have applications in areas such as tendon repair, cartilage replacement, and heart wraps. In order to make use of these materials, an understanding of the elastomeric gel structure and stability is necessary.
In this project, polypeptide synthesis and characterization will be used to understand, predict and tailor elastic properties of the new Gels. Initial work will require establishing the effects of processing conditions on the gel properties. Process conditions such as temperature, pH and the presence of salts and specific ions can all effect the performance of the gels. Permeability, the ability to retain water, and rheological properties all have a significant effect of the performance of a gel. Positron spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, small angle neutron and X ray scattering and radiotracers will be used to explore the type of network structure and their behaviour. The results of initial work will be used to predict and then test modifications of network structure and hence properties.
The project is a collaboration between CSIRO and ANSTO and the student will need to be willing to travel and work for short periods at ANSTO, Sydney. The student will be expected to work within a diverse team of chemists, radiochemist, chemical engineers, physicists, mathematicians and biologists. They will need to have an interest in polypeptide synthesis and biomimetic structure property relationships and a willingness to handle radioactive materials.
Selected Reading
K Nagapudi et al., "Viscoelastic and mechanical behavior of recombinant protein elastomers", Biomaterials 26 (2005), 4695
K Nagapudi et al., "Protein-based thermoplastic elastomers", Macromolecules 38 (2005) 345.
NA Peppas, "Devices based on intelligent biopolymers for oral protein delivery", International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 277 (2004) 11.
Key words: Biomimetic material, self healing, proteins, cell repair, radiochemistry, self-healing, nanopore architecture, modelling nature
