Host: International Society of Bionic Engineering (ISBE)
Organizers: Youth Commission of the ISBE,                    
                    Journal of Bionic Engineering
Speakers: Dr. Ximin He, University of California, Los Angeles
                 Dr. Xiao Li, Xi’an Jiaotong University
Chair: Dr. Chao Xu, Jilin University
Time: September 3, 2023 09:00 AM (Beijing time)
Venue: Zoom ID: 542 622 3099; Passcode: 202361
Direct link： https://zoom.us/j/5426223099?pwd=ZkkrMFdHVHQvTG40MmptMCtWWUhXQT09

Ximin He is an associate professor of Materials Science and Engineering at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Faculty of California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI). Dr. He was postdoctoral research fellow in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Wyss Institute of Bioinspired Engineering at Harvard University. Dr. He received her PhD in Chemistry at Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis from University of Cambridge. Dr. He’s research focuses on bioinspired soft materials, structural polymers and their physical, mechanical, electrical and photothermal properties with broad applications in biomedicine, energy, environment and robotics. Dr. He is the recipient of the NSF CAREER award, AFOSR Young Investigator award, CIFAR Global Scholar, SES Young Investigator Medal, International Society of Bionic Engineering (ISBE) Outstanding Youth Award, Advanced Materials Rising Star Award, 3M Non-tenured Faculty Award, Hellman Fellows Award, and UCLA Faculty Career Development Award. Her research on bioinspired tough hydrogels, phototropic, phototaxic, homeostatic and anti-icing materials have garnered a number of regional and international awards and was featured in >100 international news outlets.

Topic: Bio-like Soft Materials with Life-like Intelligence

Abstract: From the cellular level up to the body system level, living organisms present elegant designs to realize the desirable structures, properties and functions. For example, tendons and muscles are tough but soft, owing to highly complex hierarchical structures rarely found in synthetic materials. Our neuromuscular system enables our motion sensing and response with built-in feedback control, presenting superior intelligence also lacking in manmade systems. Gels, as a class of liquid-laden crosslinked polymer networks, not only have tissue-like water-rich porous networks and can also change their volume and physical properties in response to environmental cues. At UCLA He lab, we exploit fundamental material processing-structure-property-function studies of hydrogels and their derivatives, to create (i) ‘bio-like’ structures and properties and (ii) ‘life-like’ intelligence in functional soft materials for applications in robotics, biomedicine, energy and environment. This talk will present how these could be realized by mastering polymer-water interactions. Specifically, using classic chemical physical principles to modulate macromolecule assembly up to complex polymer networks, the fundamental limits in mechanical, diffusion and electrical properties could be broken can be broken to design extreme properties. The enabled soft materials featuring high mechanical toughness, ion/electron conduction, fast stimuli response, and ‘synthetic intelligence’ make possible the next-generation energy-self-sufficient robots, personalized medical implants, as well as futuristic smart wearable electronics and battery-powered flight.

Dr. Xiao Li obtained his doctoral degree from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at McGill University in 2016 and completed his postdoctoral training in the Department of Chemistry at Stanford University in 2021. Dr. Li joined Xi’an Jiaotong University as a Professor of Mechanical Engineering in 2021. Dr. Li was selected for a national young talent program and a provincial high-caliber talent program. Dr. Li dedicates his research efforts to exploring biosensing and biofabrication technologies. He has published over 30 articles in scientific journals, including Progress in Materials Science, Nature Protocols, Nano Letters, Biosensors & Bioelectronics, and Advanced Healthcare Materials. 

Topic: Exploring micro- and nanoscale interfaces for biosensing 

Abstract: Biosensors are rooted at the intersection of manufacturing technology, life science, and medicine, with the ability to decipher biological phenomena. Accordingly, they constitute effective tools for diagnostics, therapeutics, brain-machine interfaces, and other biomedical applications. As a foundation for biosensors to achieve advanced function and superior performance, the interface between transducing structures and biological objects requires significant efforts for investigation and engineering. Here we introduce our exploration of micro- and nanoscale interfaces for biosensing. For interfacing with biomolecules, we synthesized nanowires on microfluidic paper-based chips that have great potential for broadening the applications of molecular diagnostics. By tailoring nanowire morphologies to electrochemical sensing mechanisms, we developed biosensors that achieved both high sensitivity and high efficiency in detecting disease markers. For interfacing with cells, we fabricated vertical nanostructures on cell culture chips for electrophysiological recording. Our studies revealed fundamental mechanisms enabling cells to interact with nanostructures through membrane deformation, which can support the rational design of cell-interfaced biosensors for such purposes as high-quality recording of action potentials.