Development of biocompatible nanocomposites with enhanced properties for biomedical devices

这项拟议的NSERC DG研究计划旨在开发一种新的可行的制造工艺，以生产具有增强性能的水凝胶纳米复合材料。当前纳米复合材料的挑战包括：（1）由于许多化学分子相互作用而导致的不令人满意的生物相容性;（2）由于无机相和有机相之间的不可控界面而导致的不期望的物理性质。申请人的长期研究目标是开发新技术，用于生产生物相容性纳米复合材料为基础的设备，用于生物化学和生物医学应用，包括生物芯片，生物成像和生物传感器。我们前期的研究结果表明，由无机纳米粒子和pH敏感性水凝胶组成的水凝胶纳米复合材料具有良好的生物相容性和优异的物理性能，在局部给药、非侵入性诊断和快速微生物捕获等方面具有巨大的应用潜力。在未来五年内，申请人将联合收割机结合物理和化学技术来生产先进的水凝胶纳米复合材料。使用近红外（NIR）激光辅助沉积系统来制备水凝胶纳米复合材料是一种新的，但非常宝贵的工具。所设计的近红外激光系统具有800-2400 nm的波长范围。生物分子和生物聚合物在近红外激光的照射下，可以保持其完整的功能结构和性能。此外，近红外激光束具有很强的在微米甚至纳米尺度上对表面和界面进行剪裁的能力。拟开展的子项目包括：（1）近红外激光与生物材料/生物高分子相互作用研究。(2)基于近红外激光辅助技术制备多功能纳米复合材料的非侵入式生物传感器的研制。(3)开发强大的纳米复合材料快速微生物捕获和检测装置。该计划预计将对纳米/微米制造，先进生物材料和新的生物医学设备领域产生重大影响。

This proposed NSERC DG research program aims at the development of a new and feasible fabrication process to produce hydrogel nanocomposites with enhanced properties. The challenges of current nanocomposites include: (1) unsatisfied biocompatibility due to many chemical molecules interactions; (2) undesired physical properties caused by the uncontrollable interface between inorganic and organic phases. The long-term research goal of the applicant is to develop novel techniques for producing biocompatible nanocomposite-based devices for the biochemical and biomedical applications, including bio-chips, bio-imaging, and the biosensors. Our previous research findings have demonstrated that the hydrogel nanocomposites, consisting of inorganic nanoparticles and pH-sensitive hydrogel, have significant potential of being applied in local drug delivery, non-invasive diagnostic, and rapid microbial capture due to their improved biocompatibility, and extraordinary physical properties. In the next five years, the applicant is going to combine the physical and chemical techniques to produce the advanced hydrogel nanocomposites. Using near infrared (NIR) laser-assisted deposition system to produce hydrogel nanocomposites is a new, but an invaluable tool. The designed NIR laser system has the wavelength in the range of 800-2400 nm. Biomolecules and biopolymers can keep their fully functional structures and properties under the radiation of NIR laser. Furthermore, the NIR laser beam has the strong capability for tailoring the surface and interface at micro-, even nano-scale. The planned sub-projects include: (1) Study on interaction between NIR laser and biomaterials/biopolymers. (2) Development of non-invasive biosensors based on multifunctional nanocomposite produced by the NIR-laser assistant technique. (3) Development of powerful nanocomposite-based device for rapid microbial capture and detection. The proposed program is expected to bring a significant impact on the fields of nano/micro fabrication, advanced biomaterials, and new biomedical devices.