3 research outputs found
Bioinspired Synthesis of Hierarchically Porous MoO<sub>2</sub>/Mo<sub>2</sub>C Nanocrystal Decorated N‑Doped Carbon Foam for Lithium–Oxygen Batteries
The lithium oxygen
(Li–O<sub>2</sub>) battery is one of
the most promising technologies among various electrochemical energy
storage systems. The challenge to develop a high-performance Li–O<sub>2</sub> battery lies in exploring an air electrode with optimal porous
structure and high efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst. The present
work demonstrates a bioinspired synthesis route for the preparation
of high performance Li–O<sub>2</sub> air electrode materials
that are made out of N-doped carbon foams decorated with heteronanostructured
MoO<sub>2</sub>/Mo<sub>2</sub>C nanocrystals (MoO<sub>2</sub>/Mo<sub>2</sub>C@3D NCF). Here, recombinant proteins (ELK16-FLAG) facilitated
the self-assembly of metal precursors and provided a carbon source
for Mo<sub>2</sub>C formation. The as-prepared MoO<sub>2</sub>/Mo<sub>2</sub>C@3D NCF showed superior electrocatalytic activity in both
oxygen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction reaction mechanisms
with a high round-trip efficiency of 89.1% (2.77 V/3.11 V) at 100
mA g<sup>–1</sup> as well as exceptional rate performances
and good cyclability in Li–O<sub>2</sub> battery. The desirable
electrochemical performance can be attributed to the unique hierarchical
porous structure of the 3D carbon foam and the intimate contact between
MoO<sub>2</sub> and Mo<sub>2</sub>C nanocrystals. We demonstrate that
the novel, facile, environmentally friendly bioinspired approaches
would open new avenues for the synthesis of 3D nitrogen doped carbon
supported advanced functional materials with excellent electrochemical
performances
Probing the Role of Integrins in Keratinocyte Migration Using Bioengineered Extracellular Matrix Mimics
Bioengineered
extracellular matrix (ECM) mimetic materials have tunable properties
and can be engineered to elicit desirable cellular responses for wound
repair and tissue regeneration. By incorporating relevant cell-instructive
domains, bioengineered ECM mimics can be designed to provide well-defined
ECM-specific cues to influence cell motility and differentiation.
More importantly, bioengineered ECM surfaces are ideal platforms for
studying cell–material interactions without the need to genetically
alter the cells. Here, we showed that bioengineered ECM mimics can
be employed to clarify the role of integrins in keratinocyte migration.
Particularly, the roles of α5β1 and α3β1 in
keratinocytes were examined, given their known importance in keratinocyte
motility. Two recombinant proteins were constructed; each protein
contains a functional domain taken from fibronectin (FN-mimic) and
laminin-332 (LN-mimic), designed to bind α5β1 and α3β1,
respectively. We examined how patient-derived primary human keratinocytes
migrate when sparsely seeded as well as when allowed to move collectively.
We found, consistently, that FN-mimic promoted cell migration while
the LN-mimic did not support cell motility. We showed that, when keratinocytes
utilize α5β1 integrins on FN-mimics, they were able to
form stable focal adhesion plaques and stabilized lamellipodia. On
the other hand, keratinocytes on LN-mimic utilized primarily α3β1
integrins for migration and, strikingly, cells were unable to activate
Rac1 and form stable focal adhesion plaques. Taken together, employment
of our bioengineered mimics has allowed us to clarify the roles of
α5β1 and α3β1 integrins in keratinocyte migration,
as well as further provided a mechanistic explanation for their differences
Synthesis and Cell Adhesive Properties of Linear and Cyclic RGD Functionalized Polynorbornene Thin Films
Described herein is the efficient synthesis and evaluation
of bioactive
arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) functionalized polynorbornene-based
materials for cell adhesion and spreading. Polynorbornenes containing
either linear or cyclic RGD peptides were synthesized by ring-opening
metathesis polymerization (ROMP) using the well-defined ruthenium
initiator [(H<sub>2</sub>IMes)Â(pyr)<sub>2</sub>(Cl)<sub>2</sub>Ruî—»CHPh].
The random copolymerization of three separate norbornene monomers
allowed for the incorporation of water-soluble polyethylene glycol
(PEG) moieties, RGD cell recognition motifs, and primary amines for
postpolymerization cross-linking. Following polymer synthesis, thin-film
hydrogels were formed by cross-linking with bisÂ(sulfosuccinimidyl)
suberate (BS<sup>3</sup>), and the ability of these materials to support
human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) adhesion and spreading
was evaluated and quantified. When compared to control polymers containing
either no peptide or a scrambled RDG peptide, polymers with linear
or cyclic RGD at varying concentrations displayed excellent cell adhesive
properties in both serum-supplemented and serum-free media. Polymers
with cyclic RGD side chains maintained cell adhesion and exhibited
comparable integrin binding at a 100-fold lower concentration than
those carrying linear RGD peptides. The precise control of monomer
incorporation enabled by ROMP allows for quantification of the impact
of RGD structure and concentration on cell adhesion and spreading.
The results presented here will serve to guide future efforts for
the design of RGD functionalized materials with applications in surgery,
tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine