CAREER: Electrospinning-Enabled Bio-Inspired Materials Research and Education

该学院早期职业发展(CALEAR)项目的研究目标是通过模拟骨骼组织中细胞外基质的蛋白质引导矿化来研究电纺纳米纤维的中尺度(1)结构、(2)动力学和(3)功能。这项研究将开发纳米纤维-建筑复合材料结构，以增强机械性能和功能。从合成聚合物中提取的高度排列的纳米纤维将被纺制成可控的直径。将对纳米纤维的形态、力学和变形特性进行广泛的评估。一个由结构生物学家、聚合物物理学家和整形外科组成的跨学科团队将评估所研究的用于生物应用的材料的功能。如果成功，这项工作将使人们能够理解使用互锁聚合物陶瓷的天然材料的合成等价物的聚合物加工。它将在中尺度领域产生迫切需要的经验数据，而这些数据无法通过对自然物种进行建模或使用大宗样品的已知属性或原子或分子模拟的纯理论值来获得。它将对微米、纳米和中尺度聚合物组件的拉伸、图案化、压印产生影响，从而使未来使用静电纺丝技术加工聚合物设备成为可能。这些努力将解决在聚合物纤维直径的关键长度范围内机械强度、模数和韧性的突然变化。这将导致一种制造微型化有机基复合材料的新范式的演变。通过将生命科学与传统的机械工程课程相结合，该项目将成为一种新的、独特的方式来提供学习动力。

The research objective of this Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program project is to study the mesoscale (1) structure, (2) dynamics and (3) functionality of electrospun nanofibers by mimicking the protein-guided mineralization of extracellular matrix in skeletal tissue. The research will develop nanofiber-architectural composite constructs for enhanced mechanical properties and functionality. Highly aligned nanofibers derived from synthetic polymers will be spun to controlled diameters. The morphology, mechanical and deformation characteristics of the nanofibers will be extensively evaluated. A cross disciplinary team of structural biologists, polymer physicists, and orthopedics will assess the functionality of the materials studied for use in biological applications.If successful, this work will enable understanding of polymer processing of synthetic equivalents of natural materials using interlocking polymer-ceramics. It will produce urgently needed empirical data in the mesoscale domain that cannot be otherwise obtained by modeling or modeling of natural species using either known properties of the bulk samples or purely theoretical values from atomistic or molecular simulations. It will have impact on stretching, patterning, imprinting of micro-, nano, and meso-scale polymeric components and thus enable future processing of polymeric devices using electrospinning techniques. The efforts will address the abrupt change in mechanical strength, modulus and toughness at a critical length scale of polymer fiber diameter. It will subsequently lead to evolution of a new paradigm for fabricating miniaturized organic-matrix composites. By integrating life sciences with a traditional mechanical engineering curriculum, the project will be a new and unique way to provide motivation for learning.