21ENGBIO: Bioinspired manufacturing of non-Euclidean morphologies

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

All biological materials we see around us are produced using the natural processes of developmental growth and remodelling. These processes differ markedly from engineering approaches to manufacturing, both at the larger scale of mechanical engineering (e.g. aircraft, cars, and ships) and the smaller scale of synthetic biology (e.g. the production of bioinspired nanomaterials or synthetic proteins) because Nature uses a combination of different materials or different growth rates to create fascinating shapes. For example, the wrinkles at the edges of leaves or the familiar trumpet-like shape of a daffodil are the result of differential growth across space and time. Biological and mechanical engineers can replicate the mechanics of growth using similar physical triggers, such as varying temperatures or the swelling of chemical agents, to manufacture complex and organic shapes that are very costly to manufacture using established industrial manufacturing processes. By controlling and tailoring the expansion and contraction of different materials during manufacturing, this research will open up new manufacturing capabilities at the very large scales of mechanical engineering and the very small scales of synthetic biology. Ultimately, this will lead to new opportunities for creating more efficient bioinspired structures for mechanical engineering applications and novel applications in tissue engineering.