Biocompatible, light-responsive nanofibers for smart scaffolds

– Shruti Sharma

Image courtesy: Saswat Choudhury

Shape Memory Polymers (SMPs) have the remarkable ability to bend or stretch into a temporary shape and then return to their pre-programmed form – like a coiled spring reverting back to its original shape – when exposed to external stimuli. Traditional SMPs, however, require direct heating for shape recovery. This has led to a push for contactless activation strategies that use light, sound waves, or magnetic fields.

Researchers from the Departments of Materials Engineering and Bioengineering at IISc and collaborators have now engineered a novel composite nanofiber that can be activated remotely and safely by near-infrared (NIR) light. NIR light can benignly penetrate human tissues, making it ideal for minimally invasive therapies and next-generation medical devices.

The nanofibers were crafted from PLMC, a biodegradable and body-compatible polymer, infused with iron oxide nanoparticles. When exposed to NIR light, these nanoparticles heat up, warming the surrounding polymer just enough to trigger rapid shape recovery at physiologically safe temperatures (40-43°C).

The fibers were fabricated using electrospinning, a technique that employs electrostatic forces to draw out fine, thread-like fibers from a liquid polymer solution. This process yields highly porous, flexible strands that mimic the architecture of natural tissue. These nanofibers exhibited fast and robust shape restoration, while retaining mechanical resilience and flexibility. The team also identified the right amount of iron oxide nanoparticles needed for optimal response and resilience of the material.

By transforming invisible light into intelligent motion, this work could potentially pave the way for smarter medical solutions – like self-deploying implants, wound-healing scaffolds, and soft robotic devices – that respond seamlessly to the body’s needs.

REFERENCE:
Vannaladsaysy V, Choudhury S, Datta S, Chatterjee K, NIR-responsive shape memory composite nanofibers as deployable matrices for biomedical applications, Smart Materials and Structures (2025).

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-665X/add069

LAB WEBSITE:
https://sites.google.com/site/iiscbiomaterials/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vilay-vannaladsaysy-3b024616/