Hamburg University of Technology

Severe spinal cord injuries often result in tissue defects. Two possibilities are described to successfully bridge such gaps to promote tissue adaptation, regenerative responses and functional improvement in rats via implantation of a mechanical microconnector system after acute injury and five weeks after complete spinal cord transection.

A new way for the production of biopolymer-based aerogels by carbon dioxide (CO₂) induced gelation is shown. The technique utilizes pressurized carbon dioxide (5 MPa) for the production of biopolymer hydrogels and supercritical CO₂ (12 MPa) to convert gels into aerogels. The only solvents needed besides CO₂ are water and ethanol.

A method for determination of permeability in a membrane insert system for multi-well plates and in silico parameter optimization for the calculation of diffusion coefficients using simulation are presented.

This protocol provides a detailed list of steps to be performed for the manufacturing, control and evaluation of the climbing performance of a gecko-inspired soft robot.