| Abstract Scope |
In many cases, interactions at bio-nano-interfaces are weak van der Waals forces or other forms of “secondary” bonding. Nevertheless, biological materials often feature excellent structural properties, which is surprising. From the point of view of synthesizing bioinspired structural materials, this is very interesting, since this also means good materials can be made with a small energy footprint. Characterization of these weak interactions at the bio-nano-interface is thus important, but experimentally challenging. Furthermore, it is equally important and difficult to understand how such weak interactions translate into strong materials. We developed several experimental techniques using scanning probe techniques to quantitatively probe these interactions and study their impact on macroscopic material properties. These techniques are important to further our understanding of hierarchical biomaterials, as well as to develop synthetic, sustainable composites with outstanding properties. |