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SUMMARY:Hydrogel-Actuated Integrated Responsive Systems (HAIRS): Moving To
 wards Adaptive Materials - Professor Joanna Aizenberg\, Harvard
DTSTART:20150508T150000Z
DTEND:20150508T160000Z
UID:TALK57259@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Sian Bunnage
DESCRIPTION:Dynamic structures that respond reversibly to changes in their
  environment are central to self-regulating thermal and lighting systems\,
  targeted drug delivery\, sensors\, and self-propelled locomotion. Since a
 n adaptive change requires energy input\, an ideal strategy would be to de
 sign materials that harvest energy directly from the environment and use i
 t to drive an appropriate response. New synthetic approaches that would le
 ad to such adaptive materials present a real challenge for materials chemi
 stry in the 21st century.  To address this challenge\, I will describe the
  design of a novel class of reconfigurable materials that\, similar to ske
 letomuscular systems\, use a hybrid architecture to interconvert energy be
 tween different forms and scales. To specify the materials’ functions\, 
 we use surfaces bearing arrays of nanostructures put in motion by environm
 ent-responsive gels. Their unique topography and chemistry can be designed
  to confer a wide range of adaptive optical\, wetting\, adhesive\, anti-ba
 cterial\, motion-generating\, and other behaviors\, similar to their natur
 al counterparts used by lotus leaves to shed water\, geckos to stick to su
 rfaces\, cephalopods to change color\, echinoderms to keep their skin clea
 n\, and fish to sense flow. Using both experimental and modeling approache
 s as well as new fabrication methods\, we are developing these hydrogel-ac
 tuated integrated responsive systems (HAIRS) as new materials with reversi
 ble optical and wetting properties\, as a multifunctional platform for con
 trolling biomolecule and cell capture\, sorting and differentiation\, and 
 as a first truly homeostatic system with autonomous self-regulation.
LOCATION:Wolfson Lecture Theatre
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