To successfully induce tissue repair or regeneration in vivo, bioengineered constructs must possess both optimal bioactivity and mechanical strength. This is because cell interaction with the extracellular matrix (ECM) produces two different but concurrent signaling mechanisms: ligation-induced signaling, which depends on ECM biological stimuli, and traction-induced signaling, which depends on ECM mechanical stimuli. In this report, we provide a fundamental understanding of how alterations in mechanical stimuli alone, produced by varying the viscoelastic properties of our bioengineered construct, modulate phenotypic behavior at the whole-cell level. Using a physiologically relevant ECM mimic composed of hyaluronan and fibronectin, we found that adult human dermal fibroblasts modify their mechanical response in order to match substrate stiffness. More specifically, the cells on stiffer substrates had higher modulus and a more stretched and organized actin cytoskeleton (and vice versa), which translated into larger traction forces exerted on the substrate. This modulation of cellular mechanics had contrasting effects on migration and proliferation, where cells migrated faster on softer substrates while proliferating preferentially on the stiffer ones. These findings implicate substrate rigidity as a critical design parameter in the development of bioengineered constructs aimed at eliciting maximal cell and tissue function.

We report results of glass transition (T(g)) measurements for polymer thin films using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The AFM mode, shear modulation force microscopy (SMFM), involves measuring the temperature-dependent shear force on a tip modulated parallel to the sample surface. Using this method we have measured the surface T(g) of thin (17-500 nm) polymer films and found that T(g) is independent of film thickness (t>17 nm), strength of substrate interactions, or even presence of substrate.

The crystallization of poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) films spun-cast from the polymer/toluene solutions with as-cast thickness from 460 to 10 nm was studied. The lamellar thickness was measured using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and found to increase from 14 to 21 nm for films thinner than 100 nm. The morphology of LLDPE measured by scanning probe microscopy (SPM) showed an edge-on lamellae for the films thicker than 30 nm and flaton lamellae for the films thinner than 15 nm. A pseudo-"shish-kebab" tiny crystal structure was observed in between the larger lamellae. Crystallinity was confirmed using attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. The shear modulation force microscopy technique (SMFM) was used to measure the melting point, T m, which was found to decrease for films thinner than 100 nm. The rate of decrease was a function of the annealing protocol, but in all cases for films approximately 20 nm thick Tm was depressed by 35-40 °C. This large value cannot be predicted from the classical Gibbs-Thomson relation, unless a change in the effective heat of fusion is assumed due to surface interactions.