Event Details
Date & Time
Monday, Feb 07, 2022 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Department
School of Engineering & Applied Science
Department of Mechanical Engineering
The Renouard Distinguished Lecturer Series
Cost
Free
About This Event
Redefining the 'surface': inherent lubrication of crosslinked hydrogel surfaces
Intended for a general audience
High-water-content hydrogels are increasingly being explored for applications in biomedicine, water filtration, and hybrid materials. Their low friction, or lubricity, correlates with the availability of water at the sliding interface. However, pressure at a sliding interface works to squeeze out this water. In this seminar I will present 3 studies demonstrating how the inherent lubrication by crosslinked polyacrylamide hydrogels is enabled by redefining the ‘surface’ to include volumes of interaction into the surface. The first study will show how competing rate effects of fluid squeezeout and sliding control friction. The second will demonstrate how the surface of a hydrophilic, high-water-content crosslinked hydrogel remodels to maintain low friction. The third study will demonstrate the effects of a remodeled, gradient-stiffness surface on contact mechanics with these hydrogels. These characterizations provide design guidance for surface mechanics and performance of crosslinked hydrogels.
About Dr. Dunn
Dr. Alison Dunn is the Andersen Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor of Mechanical Science and Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She won the National Science Foundation’s prestigious Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award for her research on hydrogel interfacial slip.