Figure 9.

Surgical implantation approaches inspired by nature. (A) Mechanically-adaptive polymers, such as those found in the sea cucumber dermis, can be rigid during implantation and soften following implantation due to disruption of hydrogen bonds in an aqueous environment. (B) Mosquito prey biting strategy. Reproduced with permission from [181] (copyright Elsevier, 2018). (C) Decrease in Young’s modulus of the nanocomposite in response to physiological conditions. Reproduced with permission from [186] (copyright IOP, 2011). (D) Example of the increase in buckling force possible using a mosquito-inspired support structure. Reproduced with permission from [184].