Design and Applications of Multifunctional Hydrogels

Nature designs a vast library of soft materials in living bodies to fulfil many unique and specific functions, including strong mechanics, high actuation and sensitivity, better biocompatibility, and fast self-healing property. Sure nature soft materials offer a rich reservoir for rational design and engineering of synthetic soft materials (polymers and hydrogels). Herein, we uniquely integrate theoretical models, molecular simulations, and biophysical experiments to conduct fundamental and applied research at the interface of computational structural biology, biophysics, biomaterials, and nanotechnology, with the goals of better understanding of biophysicochemical interactions at the biological interfaces and rationally engineering biomolecules for practical applications in biomaterials and medicine. In this talk, I will show different general strategy to design soft living materials with extraordinary properties. Guided by our computational theory, I will demonstrate the design of synthetic polymers and peptides for antifouling coatings, smart hydrogels, and amyloid inhibitors. The interplays between theory, experiments and design will be emphasized throughout the talk.