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Engineers work to create new biomaterials with energy technology applications

When automotive engineers want to create a new car, they don’t build thousands of prototypes. Instead, they create computer models and run simulations for performance, efficiency and desirability before a model is selected for fabrication.

University of Delaware materials science professors Darrin Pochan and Kristi Kiick are taking a similar approach to building new nanomaterials from biomolecules — namely peptides and proteins — that could increase the efficiency of photovoltaics, also known as solar cells, and other electronic devices. (more…)

Inspired by Insects

By Guest PostApril 25, 2012Sciencebioactive hydrogel matrices, biomimetic, cell adhesion, cicadas, degradation, elastic, frequency, gel, grasshopper, hmscs, human mesenchymal stem cells, kristi kiick, microsecond, multipotent cells, phonation, polypeptide hydrogel, protein, radio wave, regenerative power, resilin, speak, susan thibeault, timothy mcculloch, tissue, torsional wave apparatus, united states, university of delaware, vibratory stimulation, vocal folds, voice problem, words, xinqiao jia

For treatment of vocal fold disorders, UD researchers look to insect protein

A one-inch long grasshopper can leap a distance of about 20 inches. Cicadas can produce sound at about the same frequency as radio waves. Fleas measuring only millimeters can jump an astonishing 100 times their height in microseconds. How do they do it? They make use of a naturally occurring protein called resilin.

Resilin is a protein in the composite structures found in the leg and wing joints, and sound producing organs of insects. Highly elastic, it responds to exceptionally high rates of speed and demonstrates unmatched resilience after being stretched or deformed. (more…)

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Bio for nano

Inspired by Insects