(72c) Design and Assembly of Biodegradable Engineered Micro- and Nanomaterials from Biopolymers

Engineered micro- and nanomaterials containing products are intensively developed and fabricated for their outstanding properties and novel applications. However, their rapid growth is currently lacking in risk assessment, rendering in environmental and human health concerns. These concerns foster public perception and complicate the public acceptance of nano- or related technologies. Globally, a number of legislations on nano-enabled products have been passed or are underway, urging a transition to greener technology. This talk will focus on the micro- and nanofabrication and technologies using biocompatible and biodegradable building blocks.

The first part will focus on a biodegradable microcapsule designer using silk fibroin technology. I will introduce an assembly technique that can change the shape of biopolymer matrices using environmental triggers. This technique can provide an at-scale production for complex or hierarchical structures of biopolymers, open possibilities in payload delivery, sensing, and other related applications. The second part of the talk will focus on two-dimensional (2D) nanochannels in textured 2D films, including fabrication and potential applications. A central idea of the second part is that van der Waals gaps of layered materials can be structurally manipulated as nanofluidic channels or confinement reaction vessels to encapsulate, transport, and release ionic or molecular substances with physical compatibility. I will discuss the potential of 2D technology in the design and fabrication of advanced biomaterial structures.