Substrate elasticity regulates cell functions including cell aggregation and stem cell differentiation. The ability to manufacture substrates of desired elasticity over a broad range is therefore crucial for both fundamental research and advanced applications. In this work, we developed a method to fabricate dense elastomer pillars of different heights on a rigid substrate, providing an effective elasticity ranging from 3 to 168 kPa. Assisted with an elastomer stencil of honeycomb pattern for cell seeding, we obtained uniform colonies of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and differentiated cardiomyocytes on the pillar substrates of different modulus. Our results showed that the elasticity of substrates significantly affected the cell colony formation via governing the colony edge propagation. More importantly, the results demonstrated that an intermediate substrate elasticity of about 9 kPa is preferable to reach an embryoid-like aggregation and optimal for cardiac differentiation of hiPSCs. Overall, this work sheds new insights on the importance of substrate modulus on cell aggregation and stem cell differentiation as well as the manufacturing of culture substrates with desired elasticity.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1758-5090/aae0a5 | DOI Listing |
Nanotechnology
January 2025
Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, P. R. China, Hefei, 230036, CHINA.
Strain sensing fabrics are able to sense the deformation of the outside world, bringing more accurate and real-time monitoring and feedback to users. However, due to the lack of clear sensing mechanism for high sensitivity and high linearity carbon matrix composites, the preparation of high performance strain sensing fabric weaving is still a major challenge. Here, an elastic polyurethane(PU)-based conductive fabric(GCPU) with high sensitivity, high linearity and good hydrophobicity is prepared by a novel synergistic conductive network strategy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanotechnology
January 2025
Radiophysics, Tomsk State University, Lenin, 36, Tomsk, Tomsk region, 634050, RUSSIAN FEDERATION.
Structural and photoelectric properties of p-i-n photodiodes based on GeSiSn/Si multiple quantum dots both on Si and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates were investigated. Elastic strained state of grown films was demonstrated by x-ray diffractometry. Annealing of p-i-n structures before the mesa fabrication can improve the ideality factor of current-voltage characteristics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeliyon
January 2025
Department of Materials Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Mazandaran, Iran.
AISI 316L stainless steel is extensively used in various fields, including medicine. In this study, in order to improve antibacterial properties, reduce elastic modulus, increase hydrophilicity and delay corrosion on the surface of AISI 316L stainless steel pieces for biomedical applications, zinc and magnesium elements were used for coating. Zn monolayer, Zn-Mg bilayer, and Zn-Mg-Zn triple coatings were deposited on AISI 316L substrates using the thermal evaporation method.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Mater
January 2025
Liquid Crystals and Photonics Group, Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Ghent University, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 126, Ghent, 9052, Belgium.
In liquid crystal (LC) cells, the surface patterning directs the self-assembly of the uniaxial building blocks in the bulk, enabling the design of stimuli-response optical devices with various functionalities. The combination of different anchoring patterns at both substrates can lead to surface induced frustration, preventing a purely planar and defect-free configuration. In cells with crossed assembly of rotating anchoring patterns, elastic deformations allow to obtain a defect-free bulk configuration, but an electrical stimulus can induce disclination lines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMaterials (Basel)
January 2025
Materials Research Centre for Energy and Clean Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Andong National University, Andong 36729, Republic of Korea.
The accurate measurement of the elastic modulus of thin metal films on flexible substrates is critical for understanding the mechanical reliability of flexible electronics. However, conventional methods, such as the Oliver-Pharr model, often underestimate the modulus due to substrate effects, particularly with low-modulus substrates like polyimide (PI). In this study, we propose an improved weighting model that replaces the empirical weighting factor with a variable X to better account for substrate contributions.
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