Meta-Biomaterials: A New Generation of Biomateri-als with Impossible Properties

Architected materials with properties that were once considered impossible are being currently developed by a wide range of researchers from different disciplines. Meta-biomaterials are a new addition to these novel classes of metamaterials, where oth-erwise impossible combinations of mechanical, mass transport, and biological properties are created through complex geomet-rical designs as well as complex spatial distributions of material properties at multiple scales starting from macroscale and going all the way down to nanoscale. This allows for incorporation of multiple favorable functionalities into one single piece of bio-material including improved tissue regeneration performance and minimized risk of implant-associated infections. Progress in 3D and 4D printing, origami, nanofabrication, and self-fold-ing is at the center of these developments, as the development of meta-biomaterials requires application of multi-scale and multi-material fabrication and activation techniques. This talk will introduce the concept of meta-biomaterials and will present an overview of the meta-biomaterials developed in my lab dur-ing the past decade.