Structure Control in Biomimetic Hybrid Membranes: From Molecular Engineering to In-operando Characterisation

Amin Sadeghpour Dilmaghani

University of Leeds

The properties and function of advanced materials in biomimetic environments are associated with their morphology, hierarchy, anisotropy and mechanical properties. For instance, the structural morphology of biopolymer networks in cellular scaffolds is known to play important roles in cellular adhesion and proliferation, controlling the tissue homeostasis. The ability to engineer nanostructured soft materials with multiscale hierarchy by sustainable approaches (e.g. free of chemical cross linking), yet offering appropriate porosity and mechanical stability remains a great challenge in engineering advanced functional food and biomaterials.
In this seminar, I will present our recent development in fabrication of novel hybrid lipid-polymer membranes by introducing unique nanostructures from lipid self-assemblies into biopolymer networks.1, 2 I will also discuss the state of the art in-situ X-ray scattering analytical methods that we applied to understanding of structure-function correlations in hybrid systems and their potential applications as cell substrates.

1. Yuan, Y.; Shi, Y.; Banerjee, J.; Sadeghpour, A.; Azevedo, H. S., Materials Today Bio 2023, 100598.
2. Tien, N. D.; Maurya, A. K.; Fortunato, G.; Rottmar, M.; Zboray, R.; Erni, R.; Dommann, A.; Rossi, R. M.; Neels, A.; Sadeghpour, A., Langmuir 2020, 36 (40), 11787-11797.

Konuşmacı hakkında

Dr. Amin Sadeghpour is a Lecturer in Food Nanostructures and Processing at the School of Food Science and Nutrition, the University of Leeds, UK. His expertise is in the area of colloids & functional nanomaterials and the application of Small- and Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS/WAXS) techniques. Amin received his PhD in Colloids and Surface Chemistry from the University of Geneva in Switzerland under the supervision of Prof Michal Borkovec. Prior to his current position, Amin was appointed a leading position at the Centre for X-ray Analytics of Empa – the Swiss Federal Laboratories of Materials Science and Technology.
Amin’s research focuses on understanding the correlations between the soft matter nanostructures and their interactions with the biological environment. He is particularly interested in the design, processing and characterisation of biomimetic systems, i.e., in lipid-polymer hybrid materials with responsive nanoscale hierarchy and controlled functions for applications in food bioprocessing and nutraceutical delivery. His research includes the development and application of in-situ X-ray analytics (SAXS/WAXS) to elucidate the structural dynamics in the advanced materials.