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

Villanova University, Villanova PA

Investigators

Abstract

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.