RUI: Biocompatible Electromechanical Actuators Based on Silk-Conducting Polymer Composites

非技术摘要：该奖项由材料研究部的生物材料项目授予西华盛顿大学，旨在设计和制造能够控制运动的生物兼容材料，称为致动器，用于各种生物医学设备，如动态人工组织、药物输送仓库和可控制的手术器械。最近，PI的实验室开发了一些方法，利用由蚕丝制成的复合材料来构建完全生物兼容的、无金属的致动器设备，并证明了这些材料可以在模拟人体的环境中响应低电压而移动。在这里，PI计划扩展这些结果，以进一步开发具有稳定和高效驱动性能的多功能生物材料。本科生广泛参与研究是这项工作的一个重要目标。这项研究计划将包括12-15名本科生，在三年的授权期内，除了一名硕士水平的研究生。这些学生将参与研究的每一个阶段。除了这个项目，这项工作还将有助于增加本科生STEM研究的基础设施，并进一步促进物理系、化学系和西华盛顿大学先进材料科学与工程中心(AMSEC)之间的合作。技术概述：该项目的目标是开发由丝素蛋白和导电聚合物(CP)组成的结构多功能的复合生物材料，在与生物相关的环境中用作稳定和高效的机电执行器。本项目建立在共聚PI合成丝绸和聚吡咯互穿网络复合材料的最新成功的基础上，并将这些材料用作双层驱动器。在这里，将研究CP的化学组成、丝素支架结构和致动器装置几何形状对生物环境中2D和3D致动的影响。这种新颖的材料平台还可以开发出以前未曾探索过的致动器装置的几何形状和功能。更广泛地说，这些研究将有助于为体内使用的CP的设计和合成提供信息，并将揭示合理的设计指标，这些设计指标将应用于使用基于CP的致动器的未来几代生物医学设备的设计。此外，在三年的资助期内，该计划将为12-15名本科生提供参与研究的机会，并将增加西华盛顿大学本科生STEM研究的基础设施。

Non-technical Summary: This award by the Biomaterials program in the Division of Materials Research to Western Washington University is to design and fabricate biologically compatible materials capable of controlled movements, known as actuators that are highly sought after for use in a variety of biomedical devices such as dynamic artificial tissues, drug delivery depots and steerable surgical instruments. Recently, methods have been developed in the PI's laboratory to construct fully-biocompatible, metal-free actuator devices utilizing a composite material made from silkworm silk, and demonstrated that these materials can move in response to low applied voltages while in environments that mimic the human body. Here, the PI plans to extend these results to further develop versatile biomaterials with stable and efficient actuation performance. Extensive participation of undergraduate students in research is a key goal of this work. This research program will involve a total of 12-15 undergraduate students over the three-year grant period in addition to a Master's level research student. These students will be involved in every phase of the research. Beyond this project, this work will also serve to increase the infrastructure for undergraduate STEM research, and further foster collaborations between the Departments of Physics, Chemistry and the Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Center (AMSEC) at Western Washington University. Technical Summary: The aim of this project is to develop architecturally versatile composite biomaterials composed of silk fibroin and conducting polymers (CPs) that function as stable and efficient electromechanical actuators in biologically-relevant environments. This project builds on the recent successes of the co-PIs to synthesize interpenetrating network composites of silk and poly(pyrrole) and utilize these materials as bilayer actuators. Here, the effects of CP chemical composition, silk scaffold architecture and actuator device geometry on 2D and 3D actuation in biological environments will be investigated. This novel material platform also enables the development of previously unexplored actuator device geometries and functionality. More broadly, these studies will help inform the design and synthesis of CPs destined for in vivo use, and will also uncover rational design metrics that will be applied to the design of future generations of biomedical devices utilizing CP-based actuators. Furthermore, over the three-year grant period this program will provide the opportunity for 12-15 undergraduate students to participate in research, and will increase the infrastructure for undergraduate STEM research at Western Washington University.