A smart material includes a composite textile that includes a textile substrate and a material disposed via an additive manufacturing technique onto the textile substrate based on an additive manufacturing pattern. The composite textile includes a gradient in least one of mechanical property, material property, or structural property and/or exhibits a change in at least one mechanical property, material property, or structure in response to at least one external stimulus.

A strand that can be used to support repair of a soft tissue injury is disclosed. The strand comprises high strength collagen fibers and high strength biocompatible fibers, such as polyethylene fibers arranged into a strand that can be used as part of a suture or other scaffold for the repair of joints and soft tissues, such as ligaments and tendons. The fibers may be over-braided around a central core, which is itself comprised of two or more fibers. The high strength collagen fibers are strong enough to withstand the stresses imposed by industrial braiding machines and processes.

In general, the present invention is related to biopolymer and biocomposite materials and structures, and methods of making and using the same. In some embodiments, the present invention is directed to oriented collagen based biocomposite materials and structures, and methods of making.

The invention relates to non-woven protein fibers and to methods for forming and producing the same. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a method of processing a protein comprising dissolving a protein in a solution, optionally removing any insoluble materials from the solution, and spraying the solution under an applied pressure. In other embodiments, the protein can be derived from a range of sources, including but not limited to arthropod silks, animal keratin (e.g. hair and wool), tissue elastin, collagen, resilin, and plant protein. In certain embodiments, the methods of the invention are an alternative to electrospinning methods known in the art.

A tubular woven fabric is useful as a transport hose for a fluid or a powder, as a protective hose for linear bodies such as wires, cables and conduits, as a tubular filter, or as a base material of a vascular prosthesis. The tubular woven fabric includes warp yarns and weft yarns interwoven with each other, the tubular woven fabric having an outer diameter with a variation of within 10% along the warp direction and satisfying the formula:

(L2L1)/L10.1.

Methods of using of natural or engineered proteins such as collagen to form tanned and/or crosslinked fibers suitable for a wide range of textile manufacturing processes, including non-woven, woven and knitted fabrics. In particular, described herein are methods of forming collagen fibers formed from cell-cultured materials by forming a solution of collagen, tanning agent and in some variations cross-linker, and shortly thereafter, extruding collagen fibers. Also described herein are collagen fibers formed by these methods.

Disclosed is a medical material manufactured using collagen and a method of manufacturing the same. The method includes (1) preparing collagen using distilled water as a solvent, (2) filling a syringe with the prepared collagen and then spinning the collagen through a syringe needle, (3) immediately immersing the spun collagen in a cross-linking solution, which is a mixture including therein a hyperosmotic agent and a cross-linking agent mixed with each other, (4) removing and then washing the collagen after cross-linking is completed, and (5) removing and then drying the collagen after the washing is completed. When the collagen is spun and processed into the form of a thread and the spun thread is then cross-linked, the cross-linked collagen thread has increased strength compared to before cross-linking, and the shape thereof is retained in an aqueous solution.

Provided is a beauty care pack including a release film and a beauty care sheet which is separably attached to the release film, wherein the beauty care sheet comprises: a support; a fiber layer which is laminated on the support and in which water-soluble polymers are formed in the form of a nanofiber web; a moisturizing layer which is laminated on the fiber layer and consists of the water-soluble polymers and moisturizing materials; and a beauty care layer which is laminated on the moisturizing layer and in which the water-soluble polymers and functional materials are formed in the form of a nanofiber web, such that active ingredients are absorbed into the skin while being dissolved by moisture.

Methods for reaction electrospinning are provided to form collagen fibers. The method can include: acidifying a collagen in an acidic solvent to form an acidic collagen solution; electrospinning the acidic collagen solution within an alkaline atmosphere (e.g., including ammonia vapor) to form collagen fibers; and collecting the collagen fibers within a salt bath (e.g., including ammonium sulfate). The acidic solvent can include water and an alcohol, and can have a pH of about 2 to about 4 (e.g., including a strong acid, such as HCl). An albumin rubber is also provided, which can include albumin crosslinked with glutaraldehyde.

A method of generating a collagen fiber is disclosed. Fibers generated thereby are also disclosed as well as scaffolds comprising such fibers.