UNS: Lift Generation in a Functionalized Supra Molecular Porous Layer, From Red Cells to Super Lubrication

建议的研究的重点是在软多孔介质的边界处的润滑效果的调查时，它被压缩下流动。这种现象通常被称为超级润滑，因为摩擦损失是戏剧性的。该项目的灵感来自于红细胞在覆盖我们血管内表面的内皮糖萼层（EGL）上的无摩擦运动。将进行基于详细实验的理论分析，从而设计出一种新型轴承，该轴承将利用超级润滑，大大增加流体动力学升力并减少阻力。本文拟对快速压实条件下不同尺度的随机软多孔介质中的流体流动和升力产生进行系统的研究。这些多孔层的范围从宏观尺度的合成纤维到微米尺度的功能化超分子层（SML）。将检查的机制，提供了一个功能化的SML响应于快速压缩和随后的恢复的结构完整性。将开发一种实验方法来研究升力的产生和摩擦减少作为一个平面表面滑过一个软多孔层。这些目标被整合在一个综合的研究计划，其中涉及理论，实验和计算方法。所提出的研究规避了用活生物体进行实验的极端困难，并提供了一种仿生方法来研究功能化软多孔层中的流体流动。它将对无摩擦流的能量效率和EGL的生物物理理解产生广泛的影响。有计划让本科生参与研究，并利用维拉诺瓦大学的现有活动来接触女童子军和代表性不足的少数民族学生。

The focus of the proposed research is on the investigation of lubrication effects at the boundary of a soft porous medium when it is compressed under flow. This phenomenon is often called super lubrication, because the friction loss is dramatic. The project is inspired by the frictionless motion of the red blood cells over the endothelial glycocalyx layer (EGL) that covers the inner surface of our blood vessels. Theoretical analysis, based on detailed experiments will be pursued that can lead to the design of a new type of bearing that would utilize super lubrication with vastly increased hydrodynamic lift and reduced drag. It is proposed to perform a systematic study to investigate fluid flow and lift generation inside random soft porous media of different scales under rapid compaction. These porous layers range from macro-scale synthetic fibers to micron-scale functionalized supramolecular layers (SML). The mechanisms that provide for the structural integrity of a functionalized SML in response to fast compression and its subsequent restoration will be examined. An experimental approach will be developed to examine the lift generation and friction reduction as a planar surface glides over a soft porous layer. These objectives are integrated in a combined research plan, which involves theoretical, experimental, and computational approaches. The proposed research circumvents the extreme difficulty in performing experiments with living organisms, and provides a bio-mimetic approach to study fluid flow in a functionalized soft porous layer. It will have broad impacts on both energy efficiency for frictionless flow and for biophysical understanding of the EGL. There are plans to engage undergraduate students in research, and to leverage existing activities at Villanova University to reach out to Girl Scouts and underrepresented minority students.