Figure 8.
Piezoelectric activity of PLA. (a) Schematic of the bending mode of high-aspect-ratio structures with aspect ratio ϕ, which results in reduced effective stiffness by a factor of ϕ−2 with respect to the bulk material. (b) Proposed mechanism by which a cell can electromechanically stimulate itself by interacting with the piezoelectric nanostructures. (c) Simulation of a PLLA nanotube with axial polymer chain orientation, showing the potential developed in response to bending. Inset shows the opposing potentials developed across the tube diameter and the orientation of the corresponding electric field. (d) An example of the PLLA nanotube arrays produced via melt-press template wetting (i) in the cross-section and (ii) in the plan view. Adapted with permission from Ref. [251]. Copyright 2020, American Chemical Society.