Biosoft

General presentation

The BioSoft Research Platform, located at Icam Lille, is dedicated to the study of soft materials, whether polymer systems or biological tissues, with the goal of better understanding the complex mechanical mechanisms that govern their behavior. At the core of its activities are advanced experimental characterization and numerical modeling of viscoelastic materials, aimed at analyzing their response under both monotonic and cyclic loading, as well as the multiphysical phenomena that may influence their properties.

Perimeter

Within this framework, the work carried out at BioSoft focuses on analyzing coupling mechanisms such as thermo-mechanical or hygro-mechanical interactions, which play a crucial role in the performance and durability of soft materials. By combining experimental approaches with simulation tools, the platform aims to develop predictive models capable of accurately describing material behavior under conditions close to real-world applications.

The uniqueness of the BioSoft platform lies in its integrated approach, linking characterization, design, fabrication, and performance prediction of innovative soft structures. This methodology relies on dedicated experimental resources for the mechanical characterization of soft materials and modeling tools to interpret and predict observed phenomena.

The platform’s activities thus include advanced mechanical characterization of polymer materials and tissues, the study of new soft materials, single- and multi-material 3D printing of architected cellular structures, as well as the design of bio-inspired structures and medical devices such as prostheses. By combining these various areas of expertise, BioSoft contributes to the development of innovative solutions for materials engineering, biomechanics, and diverse industrial and biomedical applications.

Expertises

• Multi-scale mechanical characterization
• Biomechanics
• Material structure and durability
• Numerical modeling
• Multi-material prototyping
• Constitutive modeling
• Finite element prediction
• Multiphysics coupling
• Keywords: Soft polymers – Soft tissues – Biomechanics – Biomimicry – Viscoelastic materials – Bio-based materials – Architected materials.