Collaborative Research: Elastic and Viscoelastic Characterization and Modeling of Polymer Based Structures for Biological Applications

合作研究：生物应用聚合物基结构的弹性和粘弹性表征和建模

• 批准号: 1132175
• 负责人: Hongbing Lu
• 金额: $ 7.17万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Dallas
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-01-01 至 2013-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1132175&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Elastic; Viscoelastic; Characterization

The research objective of this award is to contribute to the scientific understanding of the mechanisms of the mechanical response of soft polymer materials so as to permit the design and construction of effective micro/nano structures and devices for biomedical applications. Elastic and viscoelastic characterization and modeling of a soft polymer material, namely polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), will be performed. Such a polymer material will be probed at different scales from bulk down to the micro/nano levels using punch tests, and nanoindentation techniques. The results will be implemented into a viscoelastic finite element analysis model developed in tandem. The validated model will ultimately be utilized to determine the mechanical forces of living cells from the measured deflection of PDMS pillar arrays. To this end, the proposed research would entail a balance between characterization of the viscoelastic material and the development of a theoretical or numerical viscoelastic modeling for cellular force measurement applications. The scientific insights from the in-depth study of the viscoelasticity of PDMS will contribute to the analysis of many other soft polymer materials at micro/nano scales commonly used in biomedical industries. The vision is to expand the science and engineering community's capacity to probe soft polymer materials at small scales by developing both new theoretical models and experimental methodologies. These characterization techniques and platforms will allow scientists to ask profound and previously intractable questions related to biomedical research, and to obtain quantitative empirical answers with resolution sufficient to characterize the soft materials in small scales. This award will implement and disseminate an educational and training program that develops interdisciplinary modes of thought at the boundary of bio- and nano-mechanics through integrated research opportunities in micro/nano characterization of soft polymer materials. The project will incorporate undergraduate and graduate research, graduate education at both institutions and also outreach to high-school students.

该奖项的研究目标是促进对软聚合物材料机械响应机制的科学理解，以便设计和构建用于生物医学应用的有效微/纳米结构和设备。 将进行软聚合物材料（即聚二甲基硅氧烷（PDMS））的弹性和粘弹性表征和建模。 将使用冲压测试和纳米压痕技术在从块体到微米/纳米水平的不同尺度上探测这种聚合物材料。 结果将被应用到串联开发的粘弹性有限元分析模型中。 经过验证的模型最终将用于根据测量的 PDMS 柱阵列偏转来确定活细胞的机械力。 为此，拟议的研究将需要在粘弹性材料的表征与细胞力测量应用的理论或数值粘弹性模型的开发之间取得平衡。 对 PDMS 粘弹性深入研究的科学见解将有助于对生物医学行业常用的许多其他微/纳米尺度软聚合物材料进行分析。 我们的愿景是通过开发新的理论模型和实验方法来扩大科学和工程界小规模探索软聚合物材料的能力。 这些表征技术和平台将使科学家能够提出与生物医学研究相关的深刻且以前难以解决的问题，并获得定量的经验答案，其分辨率足以表征小尺度的软材料。 该奖项将实施和传播一项教育和培训计划，通过软聚合物材料微/纳米表征的综合研究机会，在生物和纳米力学的边界上发展跨学科的思维模式。 该项目将包括本科生和研究生研究、两个机构的研究生教育以及对高中生的推广。