A PHOTO RHEOMETER FOR BIOMATERIAL CHARACTERIZATION

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This equipment grant will allow the applicant to purchase a photo rheometer for characterization of protein-based biomaterials. Our research program is focused on developing rational methodologies to engineer elastomeric proteins with tailored nanomechanical properties, and use such proteins as building blocks for the bottom-up construction of novel protein-based biomaterials for applications in material sciences and biomedical engineering. Towards this goal, we have spearheaded research efforts in engineering elastomeric protein-based biomaterials with tailored macroscopic mechanical properties via novel photochemical crosslinking strategies. The long term goal is to bridge the gap between single protein mechanics and material biomechanics, and understand how the mechanical properties of individual elastomeric proteins are translated into the properties of macroscopic materials. The proposed photo rheometer will provide us with the essential tool enable us to fully characterize the mechanical properties of these engineered protein-based biomaterials at the macroscopic level, and investigate how photochemical crosslinking condition affects the overall mechanical properties of the resultant elastomeric protein-based biomaterials. This critical knowledge will help understand how macroscopic properties are correlated with and defined by the nanomechanical properties of individual protein building blocks, guide future design of elastomeric protein-based biomaterials.