AVS 50th International Symposium
    Biomaterial Interfaces Monday Sessions
       Session BI-MoA

Invited Paper BI-MoA7
Lubricating with Water: Biomimetic Additives

Monday, November 3, 2003, 4:00 pm, Room 307

Session: Non-fouling Surfaces and Biolubrication
Presenter: N.D. Spencer, ETH-Zürich, Switzerland
Authors: M. Müller, ETH-Zürich, Switzerland
S. Lee, ETH-Zürich, Switzerland
X. Yan, University of Houston
S.S. Perry, University of Houston
N.D. Spencer, ETH-Zürich, Switzerland
Correspondent: Click to Email
Nature often relies on surface-bound, brush-like structures to impart lubricity to natural surfaces (joints, G.I. tract, lungs) in an aqueous environment. These generally consist of polysaccharides, which are frequently charged and coordinate a large amount of water. We have found that another heavily hydrated brush-forming system: poly(L-lysine)-g-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLL-g-PEG), can impart lubricity to inorganic surfaces, such as silicon, glass and steel, in an aqueous environment. A clear dependence on polymer architecture can be observed, which is manifested on both nano- and macro-scales, as determined by AFM and tribometer measurements, respectively.