Advances in Structures, Properties and Applications of Biological and Bioinspired Materials: Volume 1621 Symposia Held December 1-6, 2013 Boston, Massachusetts, U.s.a.

There were eleven symposia conducted with a focus on biomaterials under the sub-class of 'Biomaterials and Soft Matter' at the MRS 2013 fall meeting. Symposia H, C, D and J have been combined into this proceedings volume. The aim of this volume is to provide state-of-the-art research in biomaterials and bio-inspired materials - their structures, properties and applications.

Part I. Advanced Composites and Structures for Tissue Engineering: 1. Composites and structures for regenerative engineering; 2. Novel and unique matrix design for osteochondral tissue engineering; 3. Reducing infections using nanotechnology; 4. Identifying iron oxide based materials that can either pass or not pass through the in vitro blood-brain barrier; 5. Nanostructured ceramic and ceramic-polymer composites as dual functional interface for bioresorbable metallic implants; 6. Novel silicone-epoxy composites for dental restorations; 7. Development of hydroxyapatite-mediated synthesis of collagen-based copolymers for application as bio scaffolds in bone regeneration; 8. Size also matters in biodegradable composite microfiber reinforced by chitosan nanofibers; 9. Proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells on biodegradable calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite tubular bacterial cellulose composites; 10. Dielectrophoretical fabrication of hybrid carbon nanotubes-hydrogel biomaterial for muscle tissue engineering applications; 11. In vitro examination of poly(glycerol sebacate) degradation kinetics: effects of porosity and cure temperature; 12. Novel absorbable polyurethane biomaterials and scaffolds for tissue engineering; 13. Control of cell adhesion and detachment on temperature-responsive block copolymer Langmuir films; 14. Biofunctional thermo-responsive polymeric surface with micropatterns for label free cell separation; 15. Preliminary investigation of a sacrificial process for fabrication of polymer membranes with sub-micron thickness; 16. Fabrication and morphological investigation of multi-walled electrospun polymeric nanofibers; 17. A novel injectable chitosan sponge containing brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to enhance human oligodendrocyte progenitor cells' (OPC) differentiation; Part II. Advances in Mechanics of Biological and Bioinspired Materials: 18. DNA i-motif provides steel-like tough ends to chromosomes; 19. Scanning acoustic microscopy of biological cryosections: the effect of local thickness on apparent acoustic wave speed; 20. The structure and the mechanical properties of a newly fabricated cellulose-nanofiber/polyvinyl-alcohol composite; 21. Modular peptide-based hybrid nanoprobes for bio-imaging and bio-sensing; 22. Microstructure, spectroscopic studies and nanomechanical properties of human cortical bone with osteogenesis imperfect; Part III. Engineering and Application of Bioinspired Structured Materials: 23. Mechanosensitive channels activity in a droplet interface bilayer system; 24. Cellulose nanofibril (CNF) reinforced starch insulating foams; 25. Degradation control of cellulose scaffold by malaprade oxidation; 26. Toward bioinspired nanostructures for selective vapor sensing: diverse vapor-induced spectral responses within iridescent scales of morpho butterflies; 27. Integrative chemistry toward biosourced SiC macrocellular foams bearing unprecedented heat transport properties; 28. Preparation of porous B-type carbonate apatite with different carbonate contents for an artificial bone substitute; 29. Science of swimming and the swimming of the soft shelled turtle; 30. Effect of microtubules hierarchy on photoinduced hydrogen generation and application to artificial photosynthesis; Part IV. Materials for Neural Interfaces: 31. Investigating the surface changes of silicon in vitro within physiological environments for neurological application; 32. Quantification of axonal outgrowth on a surface with asymmetric topography; 33. Improved biphasic pulsing power efficiency with Pt-Ir coated microelectrodes; 34. Atomic layer deposited Al2O3 and parylene C bi-layer encapsulation for Utah electrode array based neural interfaces.