NWNR301033 Biomaterial interfaces and interactions (in Eng.)

Art
Vorlesung
Semesterstunden
3
Vortragende/r (Mitwirkende/r)
Reimhult, Erik
Organisation
Kolloid- und Biogrenzflächenforschung
Angeboten im Semester
Sommersemester 2026
Unterrichts-/ Lehrsprachen
Englisch
Lehrinhalt

This lecture series provides a detailed overview of the interactions of man-made organic and inorganic materials with biological systems. The emphasis is on the interaction of solid materials with biological systems, but we will also discuss the peculiarities of liquid-liquid interfaces. It does not require completion of the course “802300 Biological Nanoscience and Nanotechnology”, but “Biomaterial Interfaces and Interactions” has a minor overlap with this course and is structured to deepen and extend the understanding of the material in 802300. Its aim is to provide more detailed insights into biomaterials and biointerfaces on the nanoscale through the lens of colloidal science and allow students to discuss and critically evaluate the practical implementation of this knowledge in biotechnology and related fields.
The students will start from the basic principles guiding interactions of biomolecules with each other and with foreign materials to build an understanding of the hierarchy of events that determines the fate of biomaterials (e.g., implants, biosensors, and drug delivery vehicles) from the molecular to the tissue level. A major part of the course is therefore geared towards understanding the fundamentals of surfaces/interfaces, colloidal systems, and polymer interactions. An understanding of design principles of biomaterial interfaces and biologically inspired materials will be built from studying these fundamental interactions together with examples from biological and biomaterial systems.
The course's second major part emphasizes understanding the many techniques used to characterize (bio)material interfaces and interactions, and how they influence our current understanding of biomaterial performance and design. The characterization methods will be critically discussed from the physical principles these techniques apply to probe the physical and chemical properties of materials.
The course further details strategies and state-of-the-art solutions to control the biological response of materials and surfaces using biological and synthetic surface modifications. Students will learn how to apply and evaluate such strategies to applications ranging from implants and tissue engineering to biosensors, self-healing and self-cleaning materials, by studying examples from everyday use to the research frontier.
Inhaltliche Voraussetzungen (erwartete Kenntnisse)

Basic knowledge in physics, chemistry, molecular biology, and mathematics.

Completion of the course “H802.300 Biological Nanoscience and Nanotchnology” is advantageous, but not required.
Lehrziel

At the end of the course:
Remember
•Students will recall and define foundational terminology related to biomaterials, biointerfaces, surface energetics, and biocompatibility.
•Students will list key classes of biomaterials, including natural, synthetic, and bioinspired materials, and categorize them based on their origin and function.
•Students will define key terms related to polymer science underpinning the understanding of biological systems and biointerfaces, including physical size, persistence length, polymer brush, and responsiveness.

Understand
•Students will explain the physicochemical principles underlying interactions at solid-liquid and solid-biological interfaces, including van der Waals forces, double-layer interactions (electrostatics), hydration, the hydrophobic effect, and polymer colloidal interactions.
•Students will describe how biological systems (proteins, cells, tissues) respond to material interfaces across scales, emphasizing the foreign body response.
•Students will interpret and contextualize concepts such as surface energy, zeta potential, electric double layer, and van der Waals interactions.
•Students will explain polymer chains' statistical and physical properties in solution and at interfaces (e.g., radius of gyration, chain collapse).
•Students will articulate how environmental factors (e.g., temperature, pH, ionic strength) affect polymer conformation and surface behavior in responsive systems.

Apply
•Students will use material parameters (e.g., surface energy, Debye length, modulus) to predict adsorption, cell attachment, and colloidal behavior.
•Students will apply polymer physics principles to interpret how surface-grafted polymers prevent protein adsorption or modulate cell adhesion.
•Students will justify using appropriate surface-sensitive characterization methods for analyzing material-biological interfaces.

Analyze
•Students will analyze how specific surface modifications (e.g., PEGylation, amphiphilic coatings, functionalized polymers) influence biomolecular and cellular interactions.
•Students will evaluate time-, length-, and energy-scale dependencies in interfacial phenomena (e.g., protein adsorption kinetics, hydrophobic reorganization, water structuring at surfaces).
•Students will distinguish between physisorption and chemisorption in experimental contexts and discuss their implications for biointerface design with a focus on polymer surface functionalization.
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