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Biomechanics
Biological (hybrid-)materials and bio-interfaces
n
The mission of the biomechanics group is to:
1. discover new, to date unknown material properties of biopolymer materials
and biological interfaces;
2. identify the microscopic principles that govern those material properties
(mechanics, permeability);
3. apply those principles to create biomimetic materials for biomedical
or technical applications.
The biomaterials studied range from very soft gels such
as mucus and biofilms to tissues such as cartilage and
hard, artificial materials such as mortar and concrete.
Accordingly, a broad variety of characterization methods
is used in the Biomechanics Group. Biomedical questions
addressed include understanding the wetting resistance
of bacterial biofilms and developing surface modifications
by biopolymers to reduce friction and wear on biological
tissues.
In our highly interdisciplinary projects, we work together
with chemists, pharmacists, physicists and medical
researchers to generate, characterize and optimize
existing and novel biopolymer-based materials and to
test their applicability for biomedical or industrial pur-
poses. Highlights in 2017 were the development of a
contact lens coating that prevents tissue damage on the
cornea and the detection of two types of hydrophobic
biofilm surfaces where the former is related to lotus leaves
and the later to rose petals.
Biotribology and Biolubrication
We study the mechanical and tribological properties of
biological tissues. By exploiting loss and gain of function
experiments, we aim to understand what molecular
components are responsible for the outstanding mechan-
ical properties of cartilage and which lubricants minimize
friction and wear. Furthermore, we examine the effective-
ness of different biopolymers as lubricants on biological
and artificial surfaces.
Project
■■
Mucin coatings on contact lenses
Purified mucins (light-blue) from pig stomachs form a protective layer
on contact lenses. The experiments were conducted with porcine eyes
(lower right).
Microfluidic Chips for Diffusion Studies
PDMS microchips are a versatile platform to study the
behavior of fluids on small dimensions. We aim at gener-
ating microchip solutions to quantify diffusive processes
at the liquid/gel interface. We also try to mimic complex
biological interfaces such as the bloodstream/connective
tissue. In collaboration with medical researchers and
physicists, we then compare the results obtained from our
gel-on-chip assays to in vivo data and theoretical models.
Project
■■
Barrier properties of mucin hydrogels
Microfluidic chips allow us to study the diffusive entry process of
molecules into and their transport across hydrogels.