Please join the Department of Chemical Engineering on Wednesday, September 4, for a seminar on the fabrication of ‘smart’ biomimetic surfaces by Dr. Noshir Pesika, Associate Professor in Tulane University’s Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department.
ABSTRACT
The overall research theme in the Pesika group is the fabrication of 'smart' biomimetic surfaces.
In the first part of this talk, Dr. Pesika will present his research group’s work on the design and fabrication of dry polymeric adhesives mimicking gecko adhesion. The mechanisms by which geckos are able to adhere strongly yet detach easily and quickly will be shown. In addition, he will demonstrate how mathematical models they have developed will be used to gear the fabrication of the next generation of dry adhesives. Since the latter rely on van der Waals forces for adhesion, they can stick reversibly to almost any material in any environment or media, including in vacuum or under liquids.
In the second part of his talk, he will present some of their ongoing work on creating low friction polymer surfaces inspired by articular cartilage. He will present a new lubrication mechanism, i.e., load-induced hydrodynamic lubrication (LIHL), that relies on the extrusion of pressurized fluid from the polymer to reduce friction. Future work in this project aims at better understanding the LIHL mechanism and optimizing the polymer structure and mechanical properties to further reduce friction.
Biographical Sketch
Dr. Pesika attended Carnegie Mellon University where he obtained his Bachelors Degree (1999) in Chemical Engineering and French. He then obtained his PhD (2005) in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, where he developed a novel microfabrication technique involving microcontact printing and electrochemistry. Following his PhD, Dr. Pesika joined the University of California in Santa Barbara as a postdoctoral fellow. In 2008, Dr. Pesika joined the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department at Tulane University. To date, Dr. Pesika has authored over 60 peer-reviewed articles.