• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.223-228
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• 2011

An understanding of biomaterials' smart properties and how biocomposite materials are manufactured by cells provides not only bio-inspiration for new classes of smart actuators and sensors but also foundational technology for smart materials and their manufacture. In this case study, I examine the unique smart properties of bone, which are evident at multiple length scales and how they provide inspiration for novel classes of mechanoactive materials. I then review potential approaches to engineer and manufacture bioinspired smart materials that can be applied to solve currently intractable problems such as the need for "smart" body armor or decor cum personal safety devices.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.495-505
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• 2007

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.366-366
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• 2016

Nanoscale observation of attachment systems of animals has revealed various exquisite multiscale architectures for essential functions such as gecko's locomotion, beetles' wing fixation, octopuses' sucking and crawling. In particular, the hierarchical 3-dimensional hexanonal nano-architectures in the tree frog's adhesion is known to have the capability of the enhancement of adhesion forces on the wet or rough surfaces due to the conformal contacts against rough surfaces and water-drainable micro channels. Here, we report that tree frog-inspired patches using unique artificial 3-dimensional hexagonal structures can be exploited to form reversibly enhanced adhesion against various highly curved and rough surfaces in dry and wet condition. To investigate the adhesion effect of micro-channels, we changed the arrangement of microstructure and spacing gaps between micro-channels. In addition, we introduced the 3-dimensional hexagonal hierarchical architectures to artificial patches to enhance to conformal contacts on the various rough surfaces such as skin and organs. Using the robust adhesion properties, we demonstrated the self-drainable and comfortable skin-attachable devices which can measure EKG (electrokardiogramme) for in-vitro diagnostics. As a result, bio-inspired programmable nano-architectures can be applied in versatile devices such as, medical patches, skin-attachable electronics etc., which would shed light on future smart, directional and reversible adhesion systems.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.163-168
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• 2008

Biomedical scaffold for tissue regeneration was fabricated by one of rapid prototyping processes, bioplotting system, with a biodegradable and biocompatible poly($\varepsilon$-carprolactone)(PCL). Through dynamic mechanical test, it was observed that the PCL scaffold manufactured by the bioplotting process has the superior mechanical properties compared to the conventional scaffold fabricated by a salt-leaching process, and the plotted scaffold could be employed as a potential scaffold to regenerating hard and soft tissue. The plotted scaffold was consisted of porous structures. which were interconnected with each pore to help cells be easily adhered and proliferated in the wall of pore tunnels, and metabolic nutrients can be transported within the matrix. By using the plotting system, we could adjust the pore size, porosity, strand pitch, and, strand diameter of PCL scaffolds, which were important parameters to control mechanical properties of the scaffolds, and consequently we could determine that the mechanically controlled scaffolds could be used as a matching scaffold for any required mechanical properties of the target organ. The fabricated 3D PCL scaffold showed enough possibility as a 3D biomedical scaffold, which was cell-cultured with chondrocytes.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.311-328
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• 2017

The characteristics of boundary layers have significant effects on the aerodynamic forces and vibration of the wind turbine blade. The incorporation of active trailing edge flaps (ATEF) into wind turbine blades has been proven as an effective control approach for alleviation of load and vibration. This paper is aimed at investigating the effects of external trailing edge flaps on the flow pattern and velocity distribution within a boundary layer of a NREL 5MW reference wind turbine, as well as designing a new type of velocity sensors for future validation measurements. An aeroelastic-aerodynamic simulation with FAST-AeroDyn code was conducted on the entire wind turbine structure and the modifications were made on turbine blade sections with ATEF. The results of aeroelastic-aerodynamic simulations were combined with the results of two-dimensional computational fluid dynamic simulations. From these, the velocity profile of the boundary layer as well as the thickness variation with time under the influence of a simplified load case was calculated for four different blade-flap combinations (without flap, with $-5^{\circ}$, $0^{\circ}$, and $+5^{\circ}$ flap). In conjunction with the computational modeling of the characteristics of boundary layers, a bio-inspired hair flow sensor was designed for sensing the boundary flow field surrounding the turbine blades, which ultimately aims to provide real time data to design the control scheme of the flap structure. The sensor element design and performance were analyzed using both theoretical model and finite element method. A prototype sensor element with desired bio-mimicry responses was fabricated and validated, which will be further refined for integration with the turbine blade structures.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2019

This paper addresses effects of nanoscale structures on structural colors of micropatterned transparent substrate by light diffraction. Structural colors is widely investigated because they present colors without any chemical pigments. Typically structural colors is presented by diffraction of light on a micropatterned surface or by multiple interference of light on a surface containing a periodic or quasi-periodic nano-structures. In this paper, each structural colors induced by quasi-periodic nano-structures, periodic micro-structures, and nano/micro dual structures is measured in order to investigate effects of nanoscale and microscale structures on structural colors in the transparent substrate. Using pre-fabricated pattern mold and hot-embossing process, nanoscale and microscale structures are replicated on the transparent PMMA(Poly methyl methacrylate) substrate. Nanoscale and microscale pattern molds are prepared by anodic oxidation process of aluminum sheet and by reactive ion etching process of silicon wafer, respectively. Structural colors are captured by digital camera, and their optical transmittance spectrum are measured by UV/visible spectrometer. From experimental results, we found that nano-structures provide monotonic colors by multiple interference, and micro-structures induce iridescent colors by diffraction of light. Structural colors is permanent and unchangeable, thus it can be used in various application field such as security, color filter and so on.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.403-404
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• 2007

Compound eyes in nature present intriguing topics in physiological optics due to their unique optical scheme for imaging. For example, a bee's eye has thousands of integrated photonic units called ommatidia spherically arranged along a curvilinear surface so that each unit points in a different direction. The omni-directionally arranged ommatidium collects incident light with a narrow range of angular acceptance and independently contributes to the capability of wide field-of-view (FOV) detection. Artificial implementation of compound eyes has attracted a great deal of research interest because the wide FOV exhibits a huge potential for medical, industrial, and military applications. So far, imaging with a FOV over $90^{\circ}$ has been achieved only with fisheye lenses which rely on bulky and expensive multiple lenses and require stringent alignment. In this talk, we will discuss about the spherical 3D arrangement of the photonic structures of biologically inspired artificial compound eyes in a small form-factor to have and the functional and anatomical similiarity with natural compound eyes.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2011

Cerebral aneurysm is common lesion among adult population. Current methods for treating the disease have several limitations. Inspired by fern leaves, we have developed a new stent, called leaf stent, which can provide a tailored coverage at the neck of an aneurysm and thus prevent the blood from entering the aneurysm. It alone can be used to treat the cerebral aneurysm and therefore overcomes problems existing in current treating methods. The paper focuses on the numerical simulation of the leaf stents. The mechanical behaviour of the stent in various designs has been investigated using the finite element method. It has been found that certain designs provide adequate radial force and have excellent longitudinal flexibility. The performance of certain leaf stents is comparable and even superior to those of the commercially available cerebral stents such as the Neuroform stent and the Enterprise stent, commonly used for stent assisted coiling, while at the same time, providing sufficient coverage to isolate the aneurysm without using coils.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Surface Engineering Conference
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• 2017.05a
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• pp.81-81
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• 2017

Nanotechnology is of great importance to molecular biology and medicine because life processes are maintained by the action of a series of molecular nanomachines in the cell machinery. Recent advances in nanoscale materials that possess emergent physical properties and molecular organization hold great promise to impact human health in the diagnostic and therapeutic arenas. In order to be effective, nanomaterials need to navigate the host biology and traffic to relevant biological structures, such as diseased or pathogenic cells. Moreover, nanoparticles intended for human administration must be designed to interact with, and ideally leverage, a living host environment. Inspired by nature, we use peptides to transfer biological trafficking properties to synthetic nanoparticles to achieve targeted delivery of payloads. In this talk, development of nanoscale materials will be presented with a particular focus on applications to three outstanding health problems: bacterial infection, cancer detection, and traumatic brain injury. A biodegradable nanoparticle carrying a peptide toxin trafficked to the bacterial surface has antimicrobial activity in a pneumonia model. Trafficking of a tumor-homing nanoprobes sensitively detects cancer via a high-contrast time-gated imaging system. A neuron-targeted nanoparticle carrying siRNA traffics to neuronal populations and silences genes in a model of traumatic brain injury. Unique combinations of material properties that can be achieved with nanomaterials provide new opportunities in translational nanomedicine. This framework for constructing nanomaterials that leverage bio-inspired molecules to traffic diagnostic and therapeutic payloads can contribute on better understanding of living systems to solve problems in human health.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.139-155
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• 2011

Polymeric thin-film assemblies whose bulk electrical conductivity and mechanical performance have been enhanced by single-walled carbon nanotubes are proposed for measuring strain and corrosion activity in metallic structural systems. Similar to the dermatological system found in animals, the proposed self-sensing thin-film assembly supports spatial strain and pH sensing via localized changes in electrical conductivity. Specifically, electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is used to create detailed mappings of film conductivity over its complete surface area using electrical measurements taken at the film boundary. While EIT is a powerful means of mapping the sensing skin's spatial response, it requires a data acquisition system capable of taking electrical impedance measurements on a large number of electrodes. A low-cost wireless impedance analyzer is proposed to fully automate EIT data acquisition. The key attribute of the device is a flexible sinusoidal waveform generator capable of generating regulated current signals with frequencies from near-DC to 20 MHz. Furthermore, a multiplexed sensing interface offers 32 addressable channels from which voltage measurements can be made. A wireless interface is included to eliminate the cumbersome wiring often required for data acquisition in a structure. The functionality of the wireless impedance analyzer is illustrated on an experimental setup with the system used for automated acquisition of electrical impedance measurements taken on the boundary of a bio-inspired sensing skin recently proposed for structural health monitoring.