Biomimetics, in general terms, aims at understanding biological principles and applying them for the development of man-made tools and technologies. This approach is particularly important for the purposeful design of passive as well as functional biomaterials that mimic physicochemical, mechanical and biological properties of natural materials, making them suitable, for example, for biomedical devices or as scaffolds for tissue regeneration.
The book comprehensively covers biomimetic approaches to the development of biomaterials, including: an overview of naturally occurring or nature inspired biomaterials; an in-depth treatment of the surface aspects pivotal for the functionality; synthesis and self-assembly methods to prepare devices to be used in mineralized tissues such as bone and teeth; and preparation of biomaterials for the controlled/ sustained release of bioactive agents. The last part reviews the applications of bioinspired materials and principles of design in regenerative medicine such as in-situ grown bone or cartilage as well as the biomimetic techniques for soft tissue engineering.
The comprehensive scope of this book makes it a must-have addition to the bookshelf of everyone in the fields of Materials Science/Engineering, Nanotechnologies / Nanosciences, Medical Sciences, Biochemistry, Polymer Chemistry, and Biomedical Engineering.

Jo?o F. Mano (CEng, PhD, DSc) is an Associate Professor at the Polymer Engineering Department, University of Minho, Portugal, and principal investigator at the 3B's research group - Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics. He is the former director of the Master's Program in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minho. His current research interests include the development of new materials and concepts for biomedical applications, especially aimed at being used in tissue engineering and in drug delivery systems. In particular, he has been developing biomaterials and surfaces that can react to external stimuli, or biomimetic and nanotechnology approaches to be used in the biomedical area. J.F. Mano authored more than 330 papers in international journals and three patents. He belongs to the editorial boards of 5 well-established international journals. J.F. Mano awarded the 'Stimulus to Excellence' by the Portuguese Minister for Science and Technology in 2005, the 'Materials Science and Technology Prize', attributed by the Federation of European Materials Societies in 2007 and the major 'BES innovation award' in 2010.