SHE Task
Self-healing Skin
Over the last few years, there have been great advancements in the construction of self-healing skin. It is hoped in the future that it will be used for prosthetic limbs, skin on robots and potentially as phone screens that heal the cracks. However at the time, there are many complications and further developments necessary before the synthetic skin be used.
The self-healing skin works by using a liquid monomer filled in micro-capsules. When an injury is found in the skin, the micro capsules break open and capillary action draws the monomer into the crack where it can heal the damage.
To meet the requirements of a self-healing composite, the ring opening metathesis polymerisation (ROMP) of dicyclopentadine (DCPD) reaction is used. DCPD is an affordable monomer that is fortunately liquid at room temperature meaning it can easily flow out of the micro-capsule and into the crack where it polymerises.
Self-healing materials have developed greatly over time however still use the same fundamental materials. Originally, they were made by mixing DCPD filled microcapsules and crystals of Grubbs’ catalyst in an epoxy resin. The resin was then placed in a silicon mould that helps measure the toughness of the cracks.
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The skin is made with a plastic consisting of molecular chains joined by simple hydrogen bonds. The bonds can be easily broken and reconstructed like skin. To achieve the touch sensitivity, conductivity must be achieved. By distributing nickel particles throughout the plastic, researchers found the mechanical strength of the skin had increased and provides a path of conductivity. With a strong current flowing, electrical resistance can be measured to determine the shape of the skin and any pressure being exerted on it, creating a sense of
Although prosthetics technology has progressed vastly over the last 10 years, one of the issues that prosthetics users still face is the lack of the sense of touch. Sensory receptors in human skin deliver a host of tactile and thermal signals to the brain, allowing us to feel changes in temperature and how hard we are holding something and whether it is slipping out of our hands, or off our feet. Engineers might be able to restore these sensations to prosthetics users through a stretchable artificial skin, made of a polymer infused with dense networks of very thin gold and silicon. The normally brittle silicon is configured in serpentine shapes that can elongate to allow for prosthetic movement without ripping the artificial skin or damaging
... The advanced technology of surface modification in the biomedical sector have the ability to offer not an improvement in the tribological properties only but also to improve the clinical requirements prior and post implantation. Such properties includes cell growth and antibacterial effect.
Two major types of dressing that are used for covering third degree burns and are FDA approved and recognized, Biobrane and Integra. Both of these dressings are laid and kept in place until autographing can be possible. Growing a patients skin in a lab, which is called cultured skin, is a process that helps eliminate the donor site and scarring from auto grafting. Taking a skin sample about the size of a quarter can be grown into enough skin to nearly cover all the body in about 2 to 3 weeks. The only problem with this method is that something has to cover the wounds in the meantime. This is when the Integra and Biobrane take effect. The wound could be covered with Integra or Biobrane acting as the epidermal layer of the skin until the new grown skin is ready for grafting.
Prosthetic limbs have been in existence for thousands of years in various shapes and sizes and all have the same core purpose, which is to help improve the lives of people who have either been unfortunate or have lost limbs in accidents and/or wars. Over time, prosthetic limbs have evolved and changed due to changes in technology or an up-rise of different viable materials that humans have access to. The following report will asses the materials and benefits of such, in past and present prosthetic limbs whether they be hands, fingers or legs.
This works by peeling the healthy skin off the body, a bit like peeling potato skin off of a potato, and applying it to the damaged area of skin. Ideally, this will adapt and blood vessels will begin growing within 36 hours underneath the skin. The second type is to take a thick layer of skin (Full Thickness Graft) , where the muscles and blood vessels are also removed, along with the skin. This type of grafting is generally used or small wounds on a highly visible part of the body, such as the face. Unlike the Split-level Thickness Graft, this skin usually blends in well with the surrounding skin, and usually grows with the
...urage healing but also commendable for the treatment of all types of superficial wounds in which the main significant concern is excess exudate. Though, “in a study of these types of superficial wounds, it is difficult to demonstrate that one material is superior to another in terms of wound healing” (Kim & Lee et al., 2013).
These kinds of polymers have both some advantages and disadvantages. Although they are bioactive and biodegradable and provide high comppressive strength, Degradation of such polymers leads to undesired tissue response due to producing acid formation in degradation process. Metallic scaffolds are another method for bone repair and regenaration. They provide high compressive strength and enormous permanent strength. Metallic scaffolds are mainly made of titanium and talium metals. The main disadvantages of metallic scaffolds are not biodegradable and also discharge metal ions. Recent studies in metallic scaffolds mainly focus on biodegradable materials which can be used improve bioactivity of metals such as titanium.
In my house when something was broken my dad would reach for the Superglue or Gorilla Glue. In a matter of seconds the plate or cup was fixed good-as-new. Before the invention of these products I would have used Elmer’s glue and hoped after a long wait that the cup was fixed. The wait was almost unbearable and most cases Elmer’s left big clumps of glue residue. Dad would always find the misfortune of the cup. Now, just like the commercial where the guy hangs from his hardhat after just the drop of Crazy glue my damaged plates were saved from the garbage can. Dad never found a broke cup again.
If the part or piece still has its structural strength then an epoxy product could be used. Some of these epoxies that are used bondo and POR 15. When using these pro...
The integumentary system is composed of the skin and the structures related to the skin, which include the hair, the finger nails, the sensory receptors and the glands (Shier, Butler, & Lewis, 2009). This system has an important function since it provides protection to the body, helps to maintain body temperature, and contains sensory receptors (p.117). The skin has essential function such as regulating homeostasis and body temperature, also delaying the loss of water from deeper tissues, storing sensory receptor, synthesizing biomechanical, and discharging waste from the body (p.117). The skin has two layers: the epidermis (outer layer) and the dermis (inner layer) (p.117). There is also a subcutaneous layer or hypodermis (p.117). According to Shier, Butler, and Lewis 2009 “as its name indicates, this layer is beneath the skin and not a true layer of the skin” (p.117). This layer has the blood vessels that supply the skin (p.117).
Skin is particularly rich in stem cells because so much skin is lost through normal wear and tear; you shed thousands, sometimes even millions, of dead skin cells every day. In mild cuts and burns, stem cells work to repair the damaged tissue. But in severe burns the stem cells in the burn area are destroyed, so doctors have to take skin from an undamaged area. The biggest obstacle in performing a skin graft is that, currently, only the burn patient’s own skin works reliably. If doctors try to use skin from another person, the patient’s immune system will eventually reject the graft. However, scientists are working on ways to grow skin that’s genetically compatible with the patient so that, even if the patient doesn’t have enough undamaged skin to use, the burns can still be treated
Yang, W., Chen, I.H., Gludovatz, B., Zimmermann, E.A., Ritchie, R.O., Meyers, M.A. (2013). Natural Flexible Dermal Armor, ADVANCED MATERIALS, 25(1), 31-48. doi: 10.1002/adma.201202713
After the age of twenty years old, we produce less and less collagen per year. When we reach 60 years old, we produce zero collagen! Microcurrent helps to wake up your skin and start to produce collagen, which helps to reverse the aging process. Not to mention, you can get a nice price for this treatment that should be sold as a package of at least six treatments.
Abstract: Concrete is used as a construction material in structures since the days of Roman and Greek civilisations. Now it is one of the most used construction material on the planet. In present day almost every structure is made of concrete. Therefore its performance under loading is quite important. Concrete structures are very susceptible to cracking and repairs as well as maintenance of concrete structures due to cracking are difficult and very expensive. As a possible solution to this problem, considerable interest has been directed presently towards the introduction of self-healing materials in concrete. Here, attention is focused on different healing approaches including encapsulation techniques and Bioconcrete.
The field of regenerative medicine encompasses numerous strategies, including the use of materials and de novo generated cells, as well as various combinations thereof, to take the place of missing tissue, effectively replacing it both structurally and functionally, or to contribute to tissue healing[29]