| Abstract Scope |
Sophisticated hierarchical architectures, with characteristic dimensions spanning from the nano- to the macroscale, are common design motifs found in natural materials. Freeze casting, the directional solidification of solutions and slurries, is a straightforward processing technique with which bio-inspired materials can be manufactured that emulate principles of function and optimization of their natural counterparts. Little explored and understood, until recently, were the complex dynamics of microstructure formation during directional solidification. Highlighted will be synchrotron-based, time-resolved X-ray tomoscopy for quantitative in situ studies of anisotropic, partially faceted ice crystal growth and the ice templating of performance-defining features, which range from a complex pore morphology to “ridges,” “jellyfish-caps,” and “tentacle”-like secondary features. How important these features are for biocompatibility and implant success will be illustrated with case studies on scaffolds for nerve regeneration and in vivo effects of pore size on spatially localized protein expression, which drives foreign body response and implant success. |