Keratin is a highly multifunctional biopolymer serving various roles in nature due to its diverse material properties, wide spectrum of structural designs, and impressive performance. Keratin-based materials are mechanically robust, thermally insulating, lightweight, capable of undergoing reversible adhesion through van der Waals forces, and exhibit structural coloration and hydrophobic surfaces. Thus, they have become templates for bioinspired designs and have even been applied as a functional material for biomedical applications and environmentally sustainable fiber-reinforced composites. This review aims to highlight keratin's remarkable capabilities as a biological component, a source of design inspiration, and an engineering material. We conclude with future directions for the exploration of keratinous materials.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8319812 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2021.102798 | DOI Listing |
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2025
Research and Development Center for Wide Bandgap Semiconductors, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, China.
Wide bandgap semiconductor AlGaN alloys have been identified as key materials to fabricate solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors (SBUV PDs). Herein, a self-driven SBUV polarization-sensitive PD (PSPD) based on semipolar (112̅2)-oriented AlGaN films is reported. Using the flow-rate modulation epitaxy method, the full widths at half maximum (FWHMs) for the obtained (112̅2) AlGaN along [112̅3̅] and [11̅00] rocking curves are 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Commun (Camb)
January 2025
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Porous Materials, Institute for New Energy Materials and Low-Carbon Technologies, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China.
Electrochemical water splitting is a promising approach to convert renewable energy into hydrogen energy and is beneficial for alleviating environmental pollution and energy crises, and is considered a clean method to achieve dual-carbon goals. Electrocatalysts can effectively reduce the reaction energy barrier and improve reaction efficiency. However, designing electrocatalysts with high activity and stability still faces significant challenges, which are closely related to the structure and electronic configuration of catalysts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent Adv Drug Deliv Formul
January 2025
Laboratory of Innovation in Science and Technology - LACITEC, Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Piauí, PI, Brazil.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a neuromuscular disease with an overall incidence of between 1 in 5,000 newborn males. Carriers may manifest progressive muscle weakness, resulting from the progressive degeneration of skeletal muscles, generating cardiac and respiratory disorders. Considering the lack of effective treatments, different therapeutic approaches have been developed, such as protein synthesis and extracellular matrix derivatives that can be used to improve muscle regeneration, maintenance, or repair.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Crystallogr A Found Adv
March 2025
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
X-ray diffraction is ideal for probing the sub-surface state during complex or rapid thermomechanical loading of crystalline materials. However, challenges arise as the size of diffraction volumes increases due to spatial broadening and because of the inability to deconvolute the effects of different lattice deformation mechanisms. Here, we present a novel approach that uses combinations of physics-based modeling and machine learning to deconvolve thermal and mechanical elastic strains for diffraction data analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInorg Chem
January 2025
Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory of Computational Nano-Material Science, Guizhou Education University, Guiyang 550018, China.
The n-type and p-type conductivity mechanisms from intrinsic defects and Group IIA and Group VIB element doping in the photocatalyst BiTaO are systematically investigated by employing hybrid density functional calculations. The results reveal that vacancies , , , and antisite Ta are the predominant defects, depending on growth conditions. Bi-rich, appropriate Ta-rich, and O-poor conditions can promote BiTaO to form n-type conductivity due to the presence of the Ta donor defect and its easier ionization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!