Resident multipotent vascular stem cells exhibit amplitude dependent strain avoidance similar to that of vascular smooth muscle cells.

Atherosclerosis is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, and presents as a narrowing or occlusion of the arterial lumen. Interventions to re-open the arterial lumen can result in re-occlusion through intimal hyperplasia. Historically only de-differentiated vascular smooth muscle cells were thought to contribute to intimal hyperplasia. However recent significant evidence suggests that resident medial multipotent vascular stem cells (MVSC) may also play a role. We therefore investigated the strain response of MVSC since these resident cells are also subjected to strain within their native environment. Accordingly, we applied uniaxial 1 Hz cyclic uniaxial tensile strain at three amplitudes around a mean strain of 5%, (4-6%, 2-8% and 0-10%) to either rat MVSC or rat VSMC before their strain response was evaluated. While both cell types strain avoid, the strain avoidant response was greater for MVSC after 24 h, while VSMC strain avoid to a greater degree after 72 h. Additionally, both cell types increase strain avoidance as strain amplitude is increased. Moreover, MVSC and VSMC both demonstrate a strain-induced decrease in cell number, an effect more pronounced for MVSC. These experiments demonstrate for the first time the mechano-sensitivity of MVSC that may influence intimal thickening, and emphasizes the importance of strain amplitude in controlling the response of vascular cells in tissue engineering applications.

Creating homogenous strain distribution within 3D cell-encapsulated constructs using a simple and cost-effective uniaxial tensile bioreactor: Design and validation study.

Mechanical loading bioreactors capable of applying uniaxial tensile strains are emerging to be a valuable tool to investigate physiologically relevant cellular signaling pathways and biochemical expression. In this study, we have introduced a simple and cost-effective uniaxial tensile strain bioreactor for the application of precise and homogenous uniaxial strains to 3D cell-encapsulated collagen constructs at physiological loading strains (0-12%) and frequencies (0.01-1 Hz). The bioreactor employs silicone-based loading chambers specifically designed to stretch constructs without direct gripping to minimize stress concentration at the ends of the construct and preserve its integrity. The loading chambers are driven by a versatile stepper motor ball-screw actuation system to produce stretching of the constructs. Mechanical characterization of the bioreactor performed through Finite Element Analysis demonstrated that the constructs experienced predominantly uniaxial tensile strain in the longitudinal direction. The strains produced were found to be homogenous over a 15 × 4 × 2 mm region of the construct equivalent to around 60% of the effective region of characterization. The strain values were also shown to be consistent and reproducible during cyclic loading regimes. Biological characterization confirmed the ability of the bioreactor to promote cell viability, proliferation, and matrix organization of cell-encapsulated collagen constructs. This easy-to-use uniaxial tensile strain bioreactor can be employed for studying morphological, structural, and functional responses of cell-embedded matrix systems in response to physiological loading of musculoskeletal tissues. It also holds promise for tissue-engineered strategies that involve delivery of mechanically stimulated cells at the site of injury through a biological carrier to develop a clinically useful therapy for tissue healing. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1878-1887. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Thin-Film Engineering of Mechanical Fragmentation Properties of Atomic-Layer-Deposited Metal Oxides.

Mechanical fracture properties were studied for the common atomic-layer-deposited Al2O3, ZnO, TiO2, ZrO2, and Y2O3 thin films, and selected multilayer combinations via uniaxial tensile testing and Weibull statistics. The crack onset strains and interfacial shear strains were studied, and for crack onset strain, TiO2/Al2O3 and ZrO2/Al2O3 bilayer films exhibited the highest values. The films adhered well to the polyimide carrier substrates, as delamination of the films was not observed. For Al2O3 films, higher deposition temperatures resulted in higher crack onset strain and cohesive strain values, which was explained by the temperature dependence of the residual strain. Doping Y2O3 with Al or nanolaminating it with Al2O3 enabled control over the crystal size of Y2O3, and provided us with means for improving the mechanical properties of the Y2O3 films. Tensile fracture toughness and fracture energy are reported for Al2O3 films grown at 135 °C, 155 °C, and 220 °C. We present thin-film engineering via multilayering and residual-strain control in order to tailor the mechanical properties of thin-film systems for applications requiring mechanical stretchability and flexibility.

First-Principles Study on the Structural and Electronic Properties of Monolayer MoS2 with S-Vacancy under Uniaxial Tensile Strain.

Monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has obtained much attention recently and is expected to be widely used in flexible electronic devices. Due to inevitable bending in flexible electronic devices, the structural and electronic properties would be influenced by tensile strains. Based on the density functional theory (DFT), the structural and electronic properties of monolayer MoS2 with a sulfur (S)-vacancy is investigated by using first-principles calculations under uniaxial tensile strain loading. According to the calculations of vacancy formation energy, two types of S-vacancies, including one-sulfur and two-sulfur vacancies, are discussed in this paper. Structural analysis results indicate that the existence of S-vacancies will lead to a slightly inward relaxation of the structure, which is also verified by exploring the change of charge density of the Mo layer and the decrease of Young's modulus, as well as the ultimate strength of monolayer MoS2. Through uniaxial tensile strain loading, the simulation results show that the band gap of monolayer MoS2 decreases with increased strain despite the sulfur vacancy type and the uniaxial tensile orientation. Based on the electronic analysis, the band gap change can be attributed to the π bond-like interaction between the interlayers, which is very sensitive to the tensile strain. In addition, the strain-induced density of states (DOS) of the Mo-d orbital and the S-p orbital are analyzed to explain the strain effect on the band gap.

Strain Engineering for Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Based Field Effect Transistors.

Using electrical characteristics from three-terminal field-effect transistors (FETs), we demonstrate substantial strain induced band gap tunability in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) in line with theoretical predictions and optical experiments. Devices were fabricated on flexible substrates, and a cantilever sample holder was used to apply uniaxial tensile strain to the various multilayer TMD FETs. Analyzing in particular transfer characteristics, we argue that the modified device characteristics under strain are clear evidence of a band gap reduction of 100 meV in WSe2 under 1.35% uniaxial tensile strain at room temperature. Furthermore, the obtained device characteristics imply that the band gap does not shrink uniformly under strain relative to a reference potential defined by the source/drain contacts. Instead, the band gap change is only related to a change of the conduction band edge of WSe2, resulting in a decrease in the Schottky barrier (SB) for electrons without any change for hole injection into the valence band. Simulations of SB device characteristics are employed to explain this point and to quantify our findings. Last, our experimental results are compared with DFT calculations under strain showing excellent agreement between theoretical predictions and the experimental data presented here.