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This thesis presents the work conducted during a three year research project in the field of Control Systems and Biomaterials Engineering. The findings are presented over seven chapters, starting with a thorough literature review of the existing methods and key technologies, and following through by highlighting the existing problems with the current methods and how they have been overcome. The data is presented in tables, figures and photographs to enhance understanding and clarification. The research focuses on two relatively new manufacturing methods in the field of Tissue Engineering. Both of the methods are used for creating materials for regeneration of human and animal tissue, with the aim of replacing the current surgical methods. The methods are viewed from a control systems perspective and improvements have been made with the implementation of new technologies and methods. Additionally, further advancements are presented on the theoretical modelling field of control systems, where the shortfalls of existent modelling methods are highlighted and solutions proposed.

The goal of this work was to quantify the mechanical properties of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)-based thin films using a polystyrene (PS) structuring approach. This structuring approach was used to biaxially wrinkle CNC-polymer and all-CNC films, in order to assess how changes in the film fabrication process affected the elastic modulus of these films. All films were prepared on pre-stressed PS substrates and structured by heating them above the glass transition temperature of PS, which caused the substrates to shrink and the films to wrinkle biaxially. CNC-polymer films were prepared using the layer-by-layer approach, where three parameters were modified to obtain films of varying compositions: 1) type of polymer (xyloglucan, XG, or polyethyleneimine, PEI), 2) polymer concentration (0.1 wt% or 1 wt%), and 3) film thickness (i.e., number of deposited bilayers). After these films were structured, their elastic moduli were calculated to be 70 ± 2 GPa for CNC-XG0.1, 72 ± 2 GPa for CNC-PEI0.1, and 32.2 ± 0.8 GPa for CNC-PEI1.0 films, indicating that the mechanical properties of CNC-polymer films changed with film composition. This structuring method was also found to provide a humidity-independent measurement of the modulus due to the irreversible nature of the wrinkling. Next, to prepare all-CNC films, CNC suspensions were evaporated under conditions designed to control the film thickness (using 0.005 wt% – 8 wt% CNC suspensions) and CNC nanoparticle orientation (chiral nematic, isotropic, or uniaxial). Suspensions were dried slowly under vacuum, quickly by heating, or by spin-coating to form films with chiral nematic, isotropic, or uniaxial (radial) CNC orientations, respectively. Following structuring, these wrinkled films showed unique morphologies that changed with nanoparticle orientation, suggesting that their mechanical properties are dependent on the CNC orientation within the films. The work presented in this thesis implies that the mechanical properties of films fabricated from hygroscopic bio-based nanomaterials can be assessed in a humidity-independent way by using the structuring method presented. Quantifying the mechanical properties of these films is critical to assess the potential applications of CNCs, where CNC-based materials may be used in developing paper-based electronics, extracellular matrix mimics, and plant cell wall mimics. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

This work is dealing with usage of external magnetic field for controlled orientation of structures assembled from magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles in PMMA matrix processed via solvent casting method and further study of these created anisotropic structures and their influence on mechanical properties of composite material.