FEATURES BOOKS

Biological Materials Science: Biological Materials, Bioinspired Materials,

and Biomaterials
Marc André Meyers and Po-Yu Chen

Cambridge University Press and the Materials Research Society, 2014

644 pages, $99.00 ($79 for MRS Members), ISBN 9781107010451

Editor's Note: The first two reviews cover the same publication.

In the interest of transparency, MRS is a of biomimetics, which will be a major to deal with the invariably highly quan-
co-publisher of this title. However, this future area of study in science in years to titative nature of the physical sciences
review was requested and reviewed by an come. This leads into the last part of the and engineering. Meyers and Chen have
independent Book Review Board. book, which is dedicated to bioinspired delivered a true tour de force that takes
materials and biomimetics and contains the reader, in clear and precise text, from

T his book is an excellent introduc-

tion to the ¿eld of biomaterials for
newcomers to the ¿eld or even for the
two chapters.
This book can serve as an excellent
upper-level undergraduate course text-
cells to virus-produced batteries. Taking
a unique materials science approach, this
text introduces students to the basic con-
advanced materials scientist who is inter- book for engineering students interested cepts and applications of materials and
ested in biomaterials. It is written from in bioengineering and biomaterials con- biomedical engineering, and prepares
the point of view of introducing basic centrations. Engineering graduate stu- them for the challenges of the new inter-
biological concepts. The ¿gures, illustra- dents involved in biomaterials projects disciplinary ¿eld of biomaterials science.
tions, and tables are well conceived, and would also be well served by this text- The book is divided into three parts—
the reader can easily navigate through the book. The exercises listed at the end of Basic Biology Principles, Biological
book to get to the sections in which the each chapter provide thoughtful ques- Materials, and Bioinspired Materials and
reader is most interested. The references tions that challenge the reader’s intel- Biomimetics. The ¿rst part introduces the
provide good resources pertinent to the lect. Overall, the layout of the book is principles of biology to engineers; the
topics covered in the book. well conceived, and this book will not be second part presents biological materials
After an introductory chapter 1, outdated for some time, even in the ever- along the structural and functional clas-
Part I, which comprises chapters 2–5, evolving world of bioinspired science. si¿cation created by Ulrike Wegst and
focuses on basic biological principles. This book will help materials scientists Michael Ashby: biopolymers, bioelasto-
This is well written and quite appropri- and engineers of all disciplines dealing mers, foams, and ceramic composites; and
ate for engineers and students who are with biomaterials understand the complex the third part discusses more traditional
knowledgeable about materials science struggle of biological form and function biomimetic designs, such as that of Velcro,
and engineering, mechanical engineering, in their pursuit to advance science and in conjunction with new developments that
or other engineering disciplines, but who engineering and biotechnology. mimic the structure of biological materials
have not studied biology to any signi¿- at the molecular level, mixing nanoscale
cant degree. It provides good information Reviewer: Carl J. Boehlert is a pro- with biomolecular designs. Interspersed
to help the reader understand how biolog- fessor in the Department of Chemical throughout the book are discussions of bio-
ical materials are related to biomaterials Engineering and Materials Science at materials, such as hip implants, pacemak-
and the difference between the two. Part Michigan State University, USA. ers, biodegradable materials, and dental
I distinguishes this book from many other implants. Each biomaterial is presented in
biomaterials-related textbooks. a focused “box,” providing a useful break
Part II consists of chapters 6–11 and from the sequence of subjects.
is dedicated to presenting and compar-
ing different biological materials. The
materials presented include silicate and
T he union of the physical and biologi-
cal sciences is, in many respects,
one of the most exciting yet challeng-
Because the book explains the basic
principles of biology, no prior knowl-
edge is required to read this book. Thus,
calcium-carbonate-based composites, ing aspects of scienti¿c endeavor today. the materials engineer can progress
calcium-phosphate-based composites, Nowhere is this more evident than in the through the book without getting lost
polymer matrix composites, biological area of biological materials science and in the maze of nomenclature that char-
polymers, biological elastomers, bio- engineering, where many materials sci- acterizes biology. The text is supported
logical foams, and functional biological entists and engineers struggle with the by approximately 500 ¿gures and plots,
materials. This part is very important complex puzzle of biological form and since this is a visual topic that needs
with respect to the up-and-coming area function, and biologists, in turn, have illustrations to help the reader to grasp

612 MRS BULLETIN • VOLUME 40 • JULY 2015 • www.mrs.org/bulletin

 FEATURES BOOKS

the concepts. There are also solved prob- this book should be of great bene¿t for biomaterials. Cambridge University Press
lems in the chapters and approximately undergraduate and graduate students in is keeping the price at USD$99 ($79 for
120 end-of-chapter exercises. This fea- both mechanical engineering and mate- MRS Members), making the book afford-
ture is very helpful for use as a textbook. rials engineering who wish to delve into able to young scholars.
I am informed by the authors that the this fascinating subject. Additionally, it
Cambridge University Press can provide is also a valuable reference for research- Reviewer: Robert O. Ritchie is the H.T.
PowerPoint presentations of the chapters, ers in the rapidly expanding ¿elds of the & Jessie Chua Distinguished Professor
as well as solved exercises. Consequently, science of biological, bioinspired, and of Engineering at the University of
California–Berkeley, USA.

Electrical, Electronic and Magnetic neutron experimental device (chopper),

Properties of Solids and a modern-day neutron reactor and
D.B. Sirdeshmukh, L. Sirdeshmukh, their functionalities are pictorially dem-
K.G. Subhadra, and C.S. Sunandana onstrated. Chapter 11 is dedicated to
explaining the fundamentals, theory, and
Springer, 2014 applications of magnetic resonance with
501 pages, $179.00 the help of experimental tools. Basics
ISBN 978-3-319-09984-2 and experimental techniques of fast ion
conductors with a few example materials
are discussed in chapter 12. This chap-

T he basics of solid-state physics are

very clearly discussed in this book in
a total of 13 chapters with the help of clas-
Pippard experimental setup are discussed
to explain how physical properties are
experimentally measured. Basics about
ter will be very interesting for students
to learn about the battery and fuel-cell
¿eld. The ¿nal chapter is dedicated to
sical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and semiconductors, including physical explain the fundamentals and different
statistical mechanics. This is an excellent properties and their different types, are types of superconductors along with their
book and gives very good fundamental discussed from a quantum mechanical applications.
knowledge for beginners in the ¿eld of perspective in the sixth chapter. Illustrations in this book that explain
solid-state physics. This book is written Applications of semiconducting the models are very useful to understand
for bachelor’s and master’s level students devices such as diodes, transistors, and concepts. The pictorial representation
in various disciplines, such as physics, metal oxide semiconductor ¿eld-effect of random motion of electrons (chapter
materials sciences, and chemistry. transistors, as well as experimental mate- 2), band ¿lling of electrons at T = 0 K
The ¿rst chapter gives a very brief rial preparation techniques are very well (chapter 3), and what happens to the p–n
introduction to atomic models from clas- discussed in the seventh chapter. Different junction when it is biased (chapter 7) are a
sical and quantum mechanical perspec- types of magnetism, the associated theory, few examples of clarifying concepts with
tives. The theory of free electrons and and the experimental methods to meas- clear illustrations. Regarding references,
related physical properties are discussed ure magnetic properties are elaborately the authors might have included more,
in the second and third chapters with the discussed in the eighth and ninth chap- especially recent ones. In summary, the
classi¿cation of classical and quantum ters. An explanation about concepts of fundamentals of electrical, electronic,
approaches, respectively. Fundamentals domains at the end of the ninth chapter and magnetic materials are well dis-
and applications of band theory are is very interesting, and will give the read- cussed in this book. I strongly recom-
discussed in the fourth and ¿fth chap- ers a very clear idea about what happens mend this book to all undergraduate and
ters. Various models and approaches in magnetic materials in the presence postgraduate students interested in solid-
are considered to explain band theory of a magnetic ¿eld. In chapter 10, with state physics.
as well as the difference between types the help of crystallography and neutron
of conductors in these two chapters. In diffraction, different magnetic struc- Reviewer: K. Kamala Bharathi of the
addition, a few experimental methods tures are discussed. Basic components National Institute of Standards and
such as the cyclotron resonator and the of a neutron diffractometer, an early Technology/University of Maryland, USA.

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MRS BULLETIN • VOLUME 40 • JULY 2015 • www.mrs.org/bulletin 613