title: Bioinspired design of nanostructured elastomers with cross-linked soft matrix grafting on the oriented rigid nanofibers to mimic mechanical properties of human skin.
abstract: Human skin exhibits highly nonlinear elastic properties that are essential to its physiological functions. It is soft at low strain but stiff at high strain, thereby protecting internal organs and tissues from mechanical trauma. However, to date, the development of materials to mimic the unique mechanical properties of human skin is still a great challenge. Here we report a bioinspired design of nanostructured elastomers combining two abundant plant-based biopolymers, stiff cellulose and elastic polyisoprene (natural rubber), to mimic the mechanical properties of human skin. The nanostructured elastomers show highly nonlinear mechanical properties closely mimicking that of human skin. Importantly, the mechanical properties of these nanostructured elastomers can be tuned by adjusting cellulose content, providing the opportunity to synthesize materials that mimic the mechanical properties of different types of skins. Given the simplicity, efficiency, and tunability, this design may provide a promising strategy for creating artificial skin for both general mechanical and biomedical applications.
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, Anhui Province 230026, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhongkai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Yaqiong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yezi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Zhigang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhibin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Guan
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D032701:Biomimetics / Q000379:methods*; D002070:Butadienes / Q000737:chemistry; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry; D015195:Drug Design; D004548:Elasticity; D020724:Elastomers / Q000737:chemistry*; D045782:Hemiterpenes / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry*; D010420:Pentanes / Q000737:chemistry; D012867:Skin; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D002070:Butadienes; D020724:Elastomers; D045782:Hemiterpenes; D010420:Pentanes; C005059:isoprene; D002482:Cellulose
keywords: human skin; mechanical processing; mechanical property mimicking; microphase separation; multiphase polymer; nonlinear elasticity