@article{e57b1b2412c646c3914f482258a8cf12,
title = "Transparent, tough collagen laminates prepared by oriented flow casting, multi-cyclic vitrification and chemical cross-linking",
abstract = "The lamellar architecture found in many natural fibrous tissues has a significant bearing on their specific functions. However, current engineered tissues have simultaneously no realistic structures and no adequate functions. This study demonstrates a two-step process for obtaining structurally mimicking laminates in natural fibrous tissues with good optical and mechanical characters from purified-clinically-safe collagen molecules. Stacked lamella structures can be created by repeating flow casting, with the controlling parallel/orthogonal directionalities of each thin single-layer (2-5 μm in thickness). The transparency of laminates is successfully improved by a unique multi-cyclic vitrification with chemical cross-linking. The directionalities of optical and mechanical functions in laminates are strongly related with the preferential collagen alignments in the laminates. The tensile strength of laminates is extremely higher than any other engineered materials as well as native cornea, which exhibit an orthogonal laminated collagen structure and a good optical transmission.",
keywords = "Biofilm, Biomimetic material, Collagen structure, Cornea, Fibrous tissue, Soft tissue biomechanics",
author = "Yuji Tanaka and Koichi Baba and Duncan, {Thomas J.} and Akira Kubota and Toru Asahi and Quantock, {Andrew J.} and Masayuki Yamato and Teruo Okano and Kohji Nishida",
note = "Funding Information: The authors are grateful to Mr. T. Suzuki, Waseda University for their kind help regarding polarized microscopy, Dr. K. Fukumori, Tokyo Women{\textquoteright}s Medical University (TWIns) for his help of surface analysis, and Dr. S. Dong and Miss Y. Sasaki, Tohoku University for their helpful support. This work was financially supported by the Health and Labor Sciences Research Grants of Japan at Tohoku University, Tohoku University Global COE for conquest of Signal Transduction Disease with “Network Medicine” from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan, Tokyo Women{\textquoteright}s Medical University Formation of Innovation Center for Fusion of Advanced Technologies in the Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology from MEXT, Japan, and the EPSRC grant at Cardiff University. ",
year = "2011",
month = may,
doi = "10.1016/j.biomaterials.2010.11.011",
language = "English",
volume = "32",
pages = "3358--3366",
journal = "Biomaterials",
issn = "0142-9612",
publisher = "Elsevier BV",
number = "13",
}