Molecular Engineering of Biomimetic Hydrogel-Based Lubricious Films

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The research objective of this award is to examine biomimetic "smart" artificial lubricants and determine the role of interfacial interactions on the tribological properties of confined polymeric thin films at a microscopic level. The intelligent lubricious films will be constructed by molecular engineering of stimuli-responsive poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogel thin films added with hyaluronic acid (HA) to simulate the lubricin-HA complexes in natural synovial fluids. The interfacial materials properties of these colloidal lubricants can be actively tuned and optimized by external stimuli, such as temperature and biopolymer additives, to mimic the super-lubricity of synovial fluids. Concurrent single-particle imaging and interfacial force experiments will be conducted to examine how the polymeric microstructures and dynamics endow specific viscoelasticity of confined PNIPAM-HA thin films of varied film thickness.If successful, the results of this research will elucidate the biolubrication mechanism and advance the understanding of arthritis and dry-eye symptoms as well as the engineering of intelligent thin films with optimal lubrication properties. The microstructure-viscoelasticity relationship of confined lubricious thin films, deciphered at a single-particle level, will give insight to the fundamentals in atomic and nano scale lubrication phenomena. The knowledge gained from this endeavor can be transformed to rationally design intelligent biomimetic polymeric assemblies or coatings relevant to artificial biolubricants and lubricious biomedical devices. Graduate and undergraduate student participants, as well as underrepresented minorities such as female students in engineering majors, will be trained with new and advanced materials characterization techniques through classroom instruction and laboratory research. This project also seeks to establish a strong coalition with lubrication and automotive industries as well as Indiana?s local orthopedic industry to help students, scientists, and engineers work well together.