This book reports on advanced biomaterials such as bioceramics, hydrogels, biopolymers, nanomaterials, membranes, and other compatible materials for medical applications. It introduces materials as bioactive coatings that utilize or mimic natural mechanisms and structures important for tissue and organ healing and repair. One section of the book is devoted to bone substitutes and osteogenic biomaterials. It also describes biomaterial-cell-tissue interactions, which are of critical importance for various applications in regenerative medicine, orthopedics, and implant functions. The chapters present fabrication methods and testing of various materials for medical applications. Special emphasis is given to natural patterns, theoretical models, and new insights into material characterization, particularly on fractal natural boundaries and mimicry designs taken from nature and implemented in photonics science and engineering. This multidisciplinary book is written by leading researchers and experts in their fields, and serves researchers, students, physicians, and engineers.weiterlesen