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

非技术总结：该奖项由西华盛顿大学材料研究部的生物材料项目颁发，旨在设计和制造能够控制运动的生物兼容材料，这些材料被称为致动器，在各种生物医学设备中备受追捧，如动态人工组织、药物输送库和可操纵的手术器械。最近，PI实验室开发了一种方法，利用蚕丝制成的复合材料构建完全生物相容的无金属致动器装置，并证明这些材料可以在模拟人体的环境中响应低施加电压而移动。在这里，PI计划扩展这些结果，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关键目标。在三年的资助期内，该研究项目将包括12-15名本科生和一名硕士研究生。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：该项目的目的是开发由丝素蛋白和导电聚合物（CPs）组成的结构通用的复合生物材料，在生物相关环境中作为稳定和高效的机电致动器。该项目建立在co- pi最近成功合成丝和聚吡咯互穿网络复合材料的基础上，并利用这些材料作为双层致动器。在这里，将研究CP化学成分、丝支架结构和致动器装置几何形状对生物环境下二维和三维致动的影响。这种新型材料平台也使以前未探索的致动器装置几何形状和功能的发展成为可能。更广泛地说，这些研究将有助于为体内使用的CPs的设计和合成提供信息，并将揭示合理的设计指标，这些指标将应用于使用基于cp的执行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，该项目将为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.