Biomechanical characterization and modeling of human mesenchymal stem cells under compression.

The application of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) in biomedical devices has expanded vastly over the last few decades, with MEMS devices being developed to measure different characteristics of cells. The study of cell mechanics offers valuable understanding of cell viability and functionality. Cell biomechanics approaches also facilitate the characterization of important cell and tissue behaviors.

Ductile Shape-Memory Polymer Composite with Enhanced Shape Recovery Ability.

In recent years, shape-memory polymers (SMPs) have received extensive attention to be used as actuators in a broad range of applications such as medical and robotic devices. Their ability to recover large deformations and their capability to be stimulated remotely have made SMPs a superior choice among different smart materials in various applications. In this study, a ductile SMP composite with enhanced shape recovery ability is synthesized and characterized.

Interaction of high-intensity focused ultrasound with polymers at the atomistic scale.

Experiments show that high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a promising stimulus with multiple superior and unique capabilities to induce localized heating and achieve temporal and spatial thermal effects in the polymers, noninvasively. When polymers are subjected to HIFU, they heat up differently compared to the case they are subjected to heat sources directly; however, the origins of this difference are still entirely unknown. We hypothesize that the difference in the macroscale response of polymers subjected to HIFU strongly depends on the polymer chains, composition, and structure, i.