Many Tribology Group publications are Open Access thanks to funding from the EPSRC.

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Rong:2020:10.1002/adfm.202004062,
author = {Rong, M and Liu, H and Scaraggi, M and Bai, Y and Bao, L and Ma, S and Ma, Z and Cai, M and Dini, D and Zhou, F},
doi = {10.1002/adfm.202004062},
journal = {Advanced Functional Materials},
title = {High lubricity meets load capacity: cartilage mimicking bilayer structure by brushing up stiff hydrogels from subsurface},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202004062},
volume = {30},
year = {2020}
}

RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB - Natural articular cartilage has ultralow friction even at high squeezing pressure. Biomimicking cartilage with soft materials has been and remains a grand challenge in the fields of materials science and engineering. Inspired by the unique structural features of the articular cartilage, as well as by its remarkable lubrication mechanisms dictated by the properties of the superficial layers, a novel archetype of cartilagemimicking bilayer material by robustly entangling thick hydrophilic polyelectrolyte brushes into the subsurface of a stiff hydrogel substrate is developed. The topmost soft polymer layer provides effective aqueous lubrication, whereas the stiffer hydrogel layer used as a substrate delivers the loadbearing capacity. Their synergy is capable of attaining low friction coefficients (order 0.010) under heavily loaded conditions (order 10 MPa contact pressure) in water environment, a performance incredibly close to that of natural articular cartilage. The bioinspired material can maintain low friction even when subjected to 50k reciprocating cycles under high contact pressure, with almost no wear observed on the sliding track. These findings are theoretically explained and compounded by multiscale simulations used to shed light on the mechanisms responsible for this remarkable performance. This work opens innovative technology routes for developing cartilagemimicking ultralow friction soft materials.
AU - Rong,M
AU - Liu,H
AU - Scaraggi,M
AU - Bai,Y
AU - Bao,L
AU - Ma,S
AU - Ma,Z
AU - Cai,M
AU - Dini,D
AU - Zhou,F
DO - 10.1002/adfm.202004062
PY - 2020///
SN - 1616-301X
TI - High lubricity meets load capacity: cartilage mimicking bilayer structure by brushing up stiff hydrogels from subsurface
T2 - Advanced Functional Materials
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202004062
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/80808
VL - 30
ER -