Nanomechanics of Materials and Biomaterials
Latest scientific developments and discoveries in the field of nanomechanics, i.e. the deformation of extremely tiny (10-9 meters) areas of synthetic and biological materials. Lectures include a description of normal and lateral forces at the atomic scale, atomistic aspects of adhesion, nanoindentation, molecular details of fracture, chemical force microscopy, elasticity of individual macromolecular chains, intermolecular interactions in polymers, dynamic force spectroscopy, biomolecular bond strength measurements, and molecular motors.
Spring 2007
This course focuses on the latest scientific developments and discoveries in the field of nanomechanics, the study of forces and motion on extremely tiny (10{{< sup "\\-9" >}} m) areas of synthetic and biological materials and structures. At this level, mechanical properties are intimately related to chemistry, physics, and quantum mechanics. Most lectures will consist of a theoretical component that will then be compared to recent experimental data (case studies) in the literature. The course begins with a series of introductory lectures that describes the normal and lateral forces acting at the atomic scale. The following discussions include experimental techniques in high resolution force spectroscopy, atomistic aspects of adhesion, nanoindentation, molecular details of fracture, chemical force microscopy, elasticity of single macromolecular chains, intermolecular interactions in polymers, dynamic force spectroscopy, biomolecular bond strength measurements, and molecular motors.
Readings
- There is no textbook for this course. Reading assignments are distributed to students in a class reader; supplementary papers are also suggested as additional study material.
- There is no single required textbook for this course. Israelachvili’s 1992 book (as cited in the table) provides a good treatment of some fundamentals, but many reading assignments are from more recent published papers.
- Drexler, K. E. “Engines of Construction.” Chapter 1 in Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology . New York, NY: Doubleday, New York, 1987. ISBN: 9780385199735.
- Shao, J. “Measuring Piconewton Forces and Its Application in Cellular and Molecular Biomechanics.” Advances in Biomechanics (2001): 47-51.
- Van Vliet, K. J., G. Bao, and S. Suresh. “The Biomechanics Toolbox: Experimental Approaches for Living Cells and Biomolecules.” Acta Materialia 51 (2003): 5881-5905.
- LEC #: 3 · TOPICS: Additional nanomechanics instrumentation components · READINGS: Heinz, W. F., and J. H. Hoh. “Spatially Resolved Force Spectroscopy of Biological Surfaces using the Atomic Force Microscope.” Tibtech 17 (1999): 143-150.
- Associated paper: Pera, I., and J. Fritz. “Sensing Lipid Bilayer Formation and Expansion with a Microfabricated Cantilever Array.” Langmuir 23, no. 3 (January 30, 2007): 1543-7.
- Binning, G., C. F. Quate, and C. Gerber. “Atomic Force Microscope.” Physical Review Letters 56 (1986): 930-933.
- Baselt, D. “Atomic Force Microscopy: Measuring Intermolecular Interaction Forces.” California Institute of Technology, 1993 PhD Thesis, NRL code 6177.
- Karp, G. “Covalent Bonds” (Section 2.1), and “Noncovalent Bonds” (Section 2.2) in Cell and Molecular Biology . 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1999. ISBN: 9780471192794.
- Associated paper: Higgins, M. J., et al. “Structured Water Layers Adjacent to Biological Membranes.” Biophys J 91 (2006): 2532-2542.
- LEC #: 7 · TOPICS: Single cell mechanics · READINGS: Dao, M., et al. “Mechanics of the Human Red Blood Cell Deformed by Optical Tweezers.” J Mech Phys Solids 53 (2003): 2259-2280.
- Associated paper: Suresh, et al. “Connections Between Single-cell Biomechanics and Human Disease States: Gastrointestinal Cancer and Malaria.” Acta Biomaterialia 1 (2005): 15-30.
- Ashby, M. F., and D. R. H. Jones. Chapter 3 “The Elastic Moduli,” and Chapter 4 “Bonding Between Atoms.” In Engineering Materials 1 - An Introduction to Properties, Applications, and Design . 3rd ed. Burlington MA: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005. ISBN: 9780750663809.
- Van Vlack, L. H. “Introduction to Materials: Review of Chemical Bonding.” Chapter 2 in Elements of Materials Science and Engineering . 5th ed. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1985. ISBN: 9780201080865.
- Israelachvili, J. “Classification of Forces.” Section 2.6 in Intermolecular and Surface Forces . New York, NY: Academic Press, 1992. ISBN: 9780123751812.
- ———. “Contrasts between Intermolecular, Interparticle, and Intersurface Forces.” Chapter 10 in Intermolecular and Surface Forces .
- Malescio, G. “Intermolecular Potentials - Past, Present, and Future.” Nature Materials 2 (2003): 501.
- Associated Paper: Milovic, N. M., et al. “Monitoring of Heparin and its Low-molecular-weight Analogs by Silicon Field Effect.” PNAS 103, no. 36 (2006): 13374-13379.
- Israelachvili, J. “Contrasts Between Intermolecular, Interparticle, and Intersurface Forces.” Chapter 10 in Intermolecular and Surface Forces .
- ———. “Van der Waals Forces Between Surfaces: The Force Laws for Bodies of Different Geometries - The Hamaker Constant.” Chapter 11.1 in Intermolecular and Surface Forces . pp. 176-179.
- LEC #: 11 · TOPICS: Colloids and interparticle potentials · READINGS: Lewis, J. A. “Colloidal Processing of Ceramics.” J Am Ceram Soc 83, no. 10 (2000): 2341-59.
- Associated Paper: Briscoe, W. H., et al. “Boundary Lubrication Under Water.” Nature 444 (2006): 191-194.
- Autumn, K. “How Gecko Toes Stick.” American Scientist 94 (2006): 124-133.
- Tian, Yu., et al. “Adhesion and Friction in Gecko Toe Attachment and Detachment.” PNAS 103, no. 51 (2006): 19320-5.
- Israelachvili, J. “Electrostatic Forces Between Surfaces in Liquids.” Chapter 12 in Intermolecular and Surface Forces .
- Buckwalter, J. A., H. J. Mankin, and A. J. Grodinzinsky. “Articular Cartilage and Osteoarthritis.” AAOS Instructional Course Lectures 54 (2005): 465-480.
- Buckwalter, J. A., H. J. Mankin, and A. J. Grodinzinsky “Articular Cartilage and Osteoarthritis.” AAOS Instructional Course Lectures 54 (2005): 465-480.
- Associated Paper: Dean, D., et al. “Compressive Nanomechanics of Opposing Aggrecan Macromolecules.” J Biomech 39 (2006): 2555-2565.
- Treloar, L. R. G. “The Elasticity of Long Chain Molecules,” and “Non-Gaussian Chain Statistics and Network Theory.” Chapters 3 and 6 in The Physics of Rubber Elasticity . Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press, 1975.
- Associated Paper: Ng, Laurel, et al. “Nanomechanical Properties of Individual Chondrocytes and Their Developing Growth Factor-stimulated Pericellular Matrix.” J Biomech 40, no. 5 (2007): 1011-1023.
- Marko, J. F., and E. D. Siggia. “Stretching DNA.” Macromolecules 28 (1995): 8759-8770.
- Kratky, O. and G. Porod. “X-ray Investigation of Dissolved Chain Molecules.” Recueil des Travaux Chimiques des Pays-Bas et de la Belgique (Recl Trav Chim Pas-Bas) 68 (1949): 1106-1122.
- LEC #: 18 · TOPICS: Nanomechanics and biocompatibility: Protein - biomaterial interactions, part 2 · READINGS: Same as prior session.
- Fixman, M. and J. Kovac. “Polymer Conformational Statistics. III. Modified Gaussian Models of Stiff Chains.” J Chem Phys 58 (1973): 1574-1568.
- Bouchiat, C., M. D. Wang, J. F. Allemand, T. Strick, S. M. Block, and V. Croquette. “Estimating the Persistence Length of a Worm-Like Chain Molecule from Force-Extension Measurements.” Biophysical Journal 76 (1999): 409-413.
- Odijk, T. “Stiff Chains and Filaments under Tension.” Macromolecules 28 (1995): 7016-7018.
- Rief, M., and H. Helmut Grubmuller. “Force Spectroscopy of Single Biomolecules.” ChemPhysChem 3 (2002): 255-261.
- Fisher, T. E., A. F. Oberhauser, M. Carrion-Vazquez, P. E. Marszalek, and J. M. Fernandez. “The Study of Protein Mechanics With the Atomic Force Microscope.” TIBS 24 (1999): 379-384.
- Austin, R. H., J. P. Brody, E. C. Cox, T. Duke, and W. Volkmuth. “Stretch Genes.” Physics Today 50 (1997): 32-38.
- Clausen-Schaumann, H., M. Rief, C. Tolksdorf, and H. E. Gaub. “Mechanical Stability of Single DNA Molecules.” Biophysical Journal 78 (2000): 1997-2007.
- Smith, B. L., T. E. Schaffer, M. Viani, J. B. Thompson, N. A. Frederick, J. Kindt, A. Belcher, G. D. Stucky, D. E. Morse, and P. K. Hansma. “Molecular Mechanistic Origin of the Toughness of Natural Adhesives, Fibres and Composites.” Nature 399 (1999): 761-763.
- Van Landingham, M., J. S. Villarubia, W. F. Guthrie, and G. F. Meyers. “Nanoindentation of Polymers: An Overview.” Macromolecular Symposia 167 (2001): 15-43.
- Associated Paper: Abu-Lail, N. I., et al. “Understanding the Elasticity of Fibronectin Fibrils: Unfolding Strengths of FN-III and GFP Domains Measured by Single Molecule Force Spectroscopy.” Matrix Biology 25 (2006): 175-184.
- LEC #: 20 · TOPICS: Theoretical aspects of single molecule force spectroscopy: Extensibility and the worm-like chain (WLC) · READINGS: Same as prior session.
- Associated Paper: Fantner, G. E., et al. “Sacrificial Bonds and Hidden Length: Unraveling Molecular Mesostructures in Tough Materials.” Biophys J 90 (2006): 1411-1418.
- Oliver, W. C., and G. M. Pharr. “An Improved Technique for Determining Hardness and Elastic-modulus Using Load and Displacement Sensing Indentation Expermiments.” J Mater Res 7, no. 6 (June 1992): 1564-1583.
- Sneddon, Ian. “The Relation Between Load and Penetration in the Axisymmetric Boussinesq Problem for a Punch of Arbitrary Profile.” Journal of Engineering Science 3 (1965): 47-57.
- LEC #: 23 · TOPICS: Nanoindentation 2: Oliver-Pharr method and one literature example: Nacre · READINGS: Bruet, B. J. F., et al. “Nanoscale Morphology and Indentation of Individual Nacre Tablets From the Gastropod Mollusc Trochus Niloticus.” J Mater Res 20, no. 9 (September 2005): 2400-2419.
- LEC #: 24 · TOPICS: Intermolecular interactions in motility of a biological spring (Guest lecture by Danielle France, course TA) · READINGS: Mahadevan, L, and P. Matsudaira. “Motility Powered by Supramolecular Springs and Ratchets.” Science 288 (April 7, 2000): 95-99.
Prerequisites & course information
Prereq: 3.013 or permission of instructor U (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2007
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.