Prescribing patterns in growing tubular soft matter by initial residual stress.

Initial residual stress is omnipresent in biological tissues and soft matter, and can affect growth-induced pattern selection significantly. Here we demonstrate this effect experimentally by letting soft tubes grow in the presence or absence of initial residual stress and by observing different growth pattern evolutions. These experiments motivate us to model the mechanisms at play when a growing bilayer tubular organ spontaneously displays buckling patterns on its inner surface. We demonstrate that not only differential growth, geometry and elasticity, but also initial residual stress distribution, exert a notable influence on these pattern phenomena. Prescribing an initial residual stress distribution offers an alternative or a more effective way to implement pattern selection for growable bio-tissues or soft matter. The results also show promise for the design of 4D bio-mimic printing protocols or for controlling hydrogel actuators.

Electronic sensor and actuator webs for large-area complex geometry cardiac mapping and therapy.

Curved surfaces, complex geometries, and time-dynamic deformations of the heart create challenges in establishing intimate, nonconstraining interfaces between cardiac structures and medical devices or surgical tools, particularly over large areas. We constructed large area designs for diagnostic and therapeutic stretchable sensor and actuator webs that conformally wrap the epicardium, establishing robust contact without sutures, mechanical fixtures, tapes, or surgical adhesives. These multifunctional web devices exploit open, mesh layouts and mount on thin, bio-resorbable sheets of silk to facilitate handling in a way that yields, after dissolution, exceptionally low mechanical moduli and thicknesses. In vivo studies in rabbit and pig animal models demonstrate the effectiveness of these device webs for measuring and spatially mapping temperature, electrophysiological signals, strain, and physical contact in sheet and balloon-based systems that also have the potential to deliver energy to perform localized tissue ablation.