Authors:

Elena Ferrari

Date Created:

Not specified

Course Title:

Professor:

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About Paper:

Dynamic materials that respond to environmental cues offer pathways toward sustainability in various fields. In this project, we aim to fabricate ciliated surfaces that are able to generate and control flow, prevent biofouling, and alter their mechanical properties in response to environmental changes. Inspired by corals—where cilia generate currents, influence mucus transport, and prevent settlement of marine fouling organisms—we seek to replicate these multifunctional behaviors in engineered systems. Current cilia models typically rely on magnetic or light-actuated materials, resulting in larger-scale construction and lower aspect ratios, in contrast to coral cilia. Alternatively, our approach of using two-photon polymerization (2PP) enables for smaller scale fabrication and increased printing speed when compared with traditional nozzle-based 3D printing. Determining reliable settings for printing with IP-PDMS photoresin will allow for fabrication of high aspect ratio pillar arrays and pillar plots on curved surfaces, both of which open possibilities for better understanding and fabricating cilia-like surfaces. We plan to infuse these structures with oil to create slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS), non-stick and ultra-repellent surface coatings with industrial and medical applications which enable biofouling properties and may generate interesting flow behavior when coupled with stimuli responsive systems. Harvard Summer Undergraduate Research Village

Source:

Harvard / Bioengineering, Philosophy / 2028

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Elena Ferrari