Bioinspired Engineering of Multifunctional Devices

Biomimicry, which takes advantage of naturally occurring phenomena, has recently become one of the most promising strategies to create unprecedentedly effective biomedical devices. However, the inherent complexity of biomolecules presents a tremendous challenge to scientists and engineers to successfully mimic their structures and related functions.With an aim to aid in the design and fabrication of effective biomimetic materials and devices, this chapter describes the basics of various physiological phenomena including multivalent binding, molecular self-assembly, stimuli-responsiveness, transfer of genetic materials, tissue regeneration/wound healing, and natural surface architecture and adhesiveness. In addition, a number of natural and man-made materials that derive inspiration from such natural processes and their applications are also discussed to provide a guideline to help successfully engineer bioinspired, multifunctional biomedical devices.