892110 Biomaterials

Type
Lecture
Semester hours
2
Lecturer (assistant)
Lichtenegger, Helga
Organisation
Offered in
Sommersemester 2024
Languages of instruction
Englisch
Content

· Elements of biomaterials · The making of - self-assembly and growth · Mechanical concepts in biomaterials · High-performance fibers: spider silk, keratin, collagen · Soft tissue - skin, cartilage, glue · Engineering with fibers: biological composite materials · Bioceramics - teeth, nacre · Art of hierarchical design 1: bone · Art of hierarchical design 2: wood · Intelligent materials - adaptive growth · Biomimetic and bio-inspired materials

Smart materials design may still be a challenge for us today, but Nature has been using it on a regular basis already ages ago. In spite of strictly limited resources and limitations imposed by environmental conditions, sophisticated biomaterials have evolved. They are specially adapted to fulfill specific tasks and are mechanically optimized. Even today, some of them still surpass artificially produced materials in many respects. In this course, selected biomaterials will be presented and their structure, mechanical properties and design strategies explained. A brief overview of experimental investigation methods and possibilities to use design principles from Nature shall be given as well.
Objective (expected results of study and acquired competences)

Students graduating from this course have basic knowledge about the design principles and properties of biological materials. They are able to describe structure and function of selected example materials in detail, recognize common principles and draw conclusions for potential transfer of natural materials design to technical materials.
You can find more details like the schedule or information about exams on the course-page in BOKUonline.