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February 23, 2021
Topic:
Biotribology
Speaker: Professor Angela A. Pitenis, University of California
Presentation Topic:
Biotribology is a field of study that is focused on fundamental investigations of surfaces, contact mechanics, friction, wear, and lubrication within the body and in the natural world. Friction and wear are not intrinsic properties of a material; rather, they are functions of the tribological system. Over the past half century, a classic tribological system has been discussed and described by three basic groups of thematically-linked elements: (1) the types of materials in contact and the contact geometry, (2) the testing conditions, including the motions, loads, stresses, and duration of operation, and (3) the environment and surface conditions, including the surface chemistry, surface topography, and ambient temperature. Since the 1970’s, these elements have provided a framework within which to perform biotribological studies. However, it is only within the past few decades that biological considerations have begun to inform the tribology of natural sliding interfaces (e.g., eyelid-cornea, cartilaginous joints, etc.). This talk will discuss highlights from the cutting edge in biotribology research and will point to opportunities for future studies.
Our speaker:
Angela Pitenis is an assistant professor in the Materials Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests are focused on understanding the interfacial phenomena, tribology, and interactions of surfaces of soft, biological, and bio-inspired materials. Angela’s work revealed that the tribology of PTFE (Teflon™) was actually driven by interactions with water vapor and oxygen, and that many of the amazing attributes of a material regarded as the world’s most inert were actually driven by tribochemistry. Recently, Angela’s work has focused on the interactions between surfaces of hydrogels and ocular epithelia. This work has led to the development of soft, low-friction surface gel layers applied to medical devices such as contact lenses. Angela has roughly 40 publications and holds 3 patents and leads a multidisciplinary team of materials scientists, molecular biologists, and chemical engineers at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
meeting details:
Location: STLE Alberta Section meetings will be held via Zoom webinar for the immediate future.
Cost for Presentation: FREE