Extreme hard-soft interfaces

Biomimetic Interfaces

Ongoing projects

  • "Extreme soft-hard interfaces" awarded by Dutch Research Council (NWO)- Open Competition Domain Science – XS package

Interfacing extremely soft extremely hard materials (e.g., hydrogel-metal) is one of the unsolved fundamental challenges in engineering. Nature offers smart solutions (e.g., functional gradient, hierarchy) to addressing those challenges. Inspired by natural solutions, we will design and fabricate biomimetic and sustainable interfaces through hybrid multi-material 3D printing. These optimized interfaces will have applications in artificial tendon-bone reconstruction and beyond across many industries.

  • "High-resolution optomechanical sensing for next-generation mechanobiological analysis of cell", Cohesion project, (co-PI) together with Dr. W. Westerveld

  • "Biomimetic design, fabrication and characterization of hard–to–soft connections", NWO Doctoral grants for teachers (Sara Panahkhahi)

  • "Biomimetic meta-implants", Cohesion project, (co-PI) together with Dr. A. Accardo

Past projects

  • "3D printed biomimetic interfaces", Idea Generator (NWA-IDG), PI

  • "Sixth sense biomaterials", Delft Bioengineering Institute for cross-campus research project, (co-PI, in collaboration with Dr. M. Mastrangeli)

  • "Tissue interface engineering using bitmap 3D printing techniques", (in collaboration with Dr. M. Fenu)

  • Idea Generator (NWA-IDG) for the project "Micro-architecture property-space and optimum functional conditions mapping of bioinspired multi-material 3D printable composites with the use of finite element method in conjunction with machine learning algorithms" (main applicant: M. Cruz Saldivar)

  • 4TU.HTM Funding for CROSS-LAB materials science activities between TUEindhoven (Dr. W.G. Ellenbroek, Prof. C. Storm) and TUDelft (Prof. A. Zadpoor)