Biomaterials And Soft Materials Research

The biomaterials and soft materials research are endeavoring to probe multiscale mechanics and build a mechanical properties catalog for soft and biological materials to assist material selection and implantable scaffold designing, benefiting entire tissue engineering. We have built four platforms:  

1) Micro-mechanics platform: using different probes (e.g., Berkovich and spherical) and a force of µN – mN; has been applied for measurements of single nanofiber, iPSCs-derived cardiac tissues, animal cardiac tissues, and hydrogels.  

2) Meso-mechanics platform: US Patent #11,275,007; measuring ultra-soft materials’ (e.g., yogurt, toothpaste, animal tissues, hydrogels, aloe vera, and chocolate) stiffness and adhesion at meso/macro scales via a force of mN – N. 

3) In-situ indentation platform: micro-scaffolds’ (e.g., printed by the two-photon direct laser writing (TPDLW) technique) mechanical characterization platform by in-situ indentation inside a high-resolution scanning electron microscope. 

4) AFM platform: a single-cell mechanical and electrical property measurement platform using AFM cantilevers and a force of pN – nN. Our team collaborates with CELL-MET Team utilizing in-situ indentation platform in measuring macro mechanical properties of a miniPUMP cardiac tissue model. This research was published in Science Advances. As a part of our outreach and education efforts, our lab hosts undergraduate students and high school teachers for research exposure and training.