1
|
Leidens LM, Michels AF, Machado G, Alvarez F, Smirnov AI, Krim J, Figueroa CA. Illuminating Pathways to Dynamic Nanotribology: Light-Mediated Active Control of Interfacial Friction with Nanosuspensions. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024:e2404268. [PMID: 39011945 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202404268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
Active control of nanotribological properties is a challenge. Materials responsive to external stimuli may catalyze this paradigm shift. Recently, the nanofriction of a thin film is modulated by light, ushering in phototribology. This frontier is expanded here, by investigating photoactive nanoparticles in lubricants to confer similar functionality to passive surfaces. Quartz-crystal microbalance (QCM) is employed to assess the phototribological behavior of aqueous suspensions of titanium dioxide nanoparticles. A comparison of dark and illuminated conditions provides the first demonstration of tuning the interfacial friction in solid-nanosuspension interfaces by light. Cyclic tests reveal reversible transitions between higher (dark) and lower friction (illuminated) regimes. These transitions are underpinned by transient states with surface charge variations, as confirmed by Zeta potential measurements. The accumulated surface charge increases repulsion within the system and favors sliding. Upon cessation of illumination, the system returns to its prior equilibrium state. These findings impact not only nanotribology but nanofluidics and nanorheology. Furthermore, the results underscore the need to consider light-induced effects in other scenarios, including the calculation of activity coefficients of photoactive suspensions. This multifaceted study introduces a new dimension to in operando frictional tuning, beckoning a myriad of applications and fundamental insights at the nanoscale.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo M Leidens
- PPGMAT, University of Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul, RS, 95070-560, Brazil
- Instituto de Física "Gleb Wataghin", Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil
| | | | - Giovanna Machado
- Laboratory of Microscope and Microanalysis, Northeast Center for Strategic Technologies (CETENE), Recife, PE, 50740-545, Brazil
| | - Fernando Alvarez
- Instituto de Física "Gleb Wataghin", Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Alex I Smirnov
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Jacqueline Krim
- Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA
| | - Carlos A Figueroa
- PPGMAT, University of Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul, RS, 95070-560, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kumar S, Tiwari I, Ortega-Jimenez VM, Dillman AR, He D, Hu Y, Bhamla MS. Reversible kink instability drives ultrafast jumping in nematodes and soft robots. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.07.598012. [PMID: 38915562 PMCID: PMC11195127 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.07.598012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) exhibit a bending-elastic instability, or kink, before becoming airborne, a feature hypothesized but not proven to enhance jumping performance. Here, we provide the evidence that this kink is crucial for improving launch performance. We demonstrate that EPNs actively modulate their aspect ratio, forming a liquid-latched closed loop over a slow timescale O (1 s), then rapidly open it O (10 µs), achieving heights of 20 body lengths (BL) and generating ∼ 10 4 W/Kg of power. Using jumping nematodes, a bio-inspired Soft Jumping Model (SoftJM), and computational simulations, we explore the mechanisms and implications of this kink. EPNs control their takeoff direction by adjusting their head position and center of mass, a mechanism verified through phase maps of jump directions in simulations and SoftJM experiments. Our findings reveal that the reversible kink instability at the point of highest curvature on the ventral side enhances energy storage using the nematode's limited muscular force. We investigated the impact of aspect ratio on kink instability and jumping performance using SoftJM, and quantified EPN cuticle stiffness with AFM, comparing it with C. elegans . This led to a stiffness-modified SoftJM design with a carbon fiber backbone, achieving jumps of ∼25 BL. Our study reveals how harnessing kink instabilities, a typical failure mode, enables bidirectional jumps in soft robots on complex substrates like sand, offering a novel approach for designing limbless robots for controlled jumping, locomotion, and even planetary exploration.
Collapse
|
3
|
Mendoza E, Martinez M, Olberding JP, Azizi E. The effects of temperature on elastic energy storage and release in a system with a dynamic mechanical advantage latch. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245805. [PMID: 37727106 PMCID: PMC10617612 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Changes in temperature alter muscle kinetics and in turn affect whole-organism performance. Some organisms use the elastic recoil of biological springs, structures which are far less temperature sensitive, to power thermally robust movements. For jumping frogs, the use of elastic energy in tendons is facilitated through a geometric latching mechanism that operates through dynamic changes in the mechanical advantage (MA) of the hindlimb. Despite the well-documented use of elastic energy storage, frog jumping is a locomotor behavior that is significantly affected by changes in temperature. Here, we used an in vitro muscle preparation interacting in real time with an in silico model of a legged jumper to understand how changes in temperature affect the flow of energy in a system using a MA latch. We used the plantaris longus muscle-tendon unit (MTU) to power a virtual limb with changing MA and a mass being accelerated through a real-time feedback controller. We quantified the amount of energy stored in and recovered from elastic structures and the additional contribution of direct muscle work after unlatching. We found that temperature altered the duration of the energy loading and recovery phase of the in vitro/in silico experiments. We found that the early phase of loading was insensitive to changes in temperature. However, an increase in temperature did increase the rate of force development, which in turn allowed for increased energy storage in the second phase of loading. We also found that the contribution of direct muscle work after unlatching was substantial and increased significantly with temperature. Our results show that the thermal robustness achieved by an elastic mechanism depends strongly on the nature of the latch that mediates energy flow, and that the relative contribution of elastic and direct muscle energy likely shapes the thermal sensitivity of locomotor systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Mendoza
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Maya Martinez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Biomedical Engineering Department, California State University, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA
| | - Jeffrey P. Olberding
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92831, USA
| | - Emanuel Azizi
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Cook A, Pandhigunta K, Acevedo MA, Walker A, Didcock RL, Castro JT, O’Neill D, Acharya R, Bhamla MS, Anderson PSL, Ilton M. A Tunable, Simplified Model for Biological Latch Mediated Spring Actuated Systems. Integr Org Biol 2022; 4:obac032. [PMID: 36060863 PMCID: PMC9434652 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obac032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
We develop a model of latch-mediated spring actuated (LaMSA) systems relevant to comparative biomechanics and bioinspired design. The model contains five components: two motors (muscles), a spring, a latch, and a load mass. One motor loads the spring to store elastic energy and the second motor subsequently removes the latch, which releases the spring and causes movement of the load mass. We develop freely available software to accompany the model, which provides an extensible framework for simulating LaMSA systems. Output from the simulation includes information from the loading and release phases of motion, which can be used to calculate kinematic performance metrics that are important for biomechanical function. In parallel, we simulate a comparable, directly actuated system that uses the same motor and mass combinations as the LaMSA simulations. By rapidly iterating through biologically relevant input parameters to the model, simulated kinematic performance differences between LaMSA and directly actuated systems can be used to explore the evolutionary dynamics of biological LaMSA systems and uncover design principles for bioinspired LaMSA systems. As proof of principle of this concept, we compare a LaMSA simulation to a directly actuated simulation that includes either a Hill-type force-velocity trade-off or muscle activation dynamics, or both. For the biologically-relevant range of parameters explored, we find that the muscle force-velocity trade-off and muscle activation have similar effects on directly actuated performance. Including both of these dynamic muscle properties increases the accelerated mass range where a LaMSA system outperforms a directly actuated one.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Cook
- Department of Physics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
| | | | - Mason A Acevedo
- Department of Physics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
| | - Adam Walker
- Department of Physics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
| | | | | | - Declan O’Neill
- Department of Physics, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
| | - Raghav Acharya
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30318
| | - M Saad Bhamla
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30318
| | - Philip S L Anderson
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Diesner M, Brenner M, Azarsa A, Heymann C, Aberle H. Rearrangements in the musculature correlate with jumping behaviour in legless Mediterranean fruit fly larvae Ceratitis capitata (Tephritidae). Sci Rep 2022; 12:7457. [PMID: 35523850 PMCID: PMC9076836 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11369-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Larvae of holometabolic insects evolved different crawling strategies depending on the presence or absence of larval legs or life style. A rather unusual mode of locomotion has independently evolved in legless larvae of several dipteran species. Maggots of the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata developed an effective jumping mechanism to increase locomotion speed or to deter predators during the search for suitable pupation sites. Here, we use high-speed videography to visualize even the fastest movements during jump preparation and take-off. Quantification of kinetic and biometric parameters reveal that maggots jump up to 15-fold of their body length from a standing position and gain speed with 27 times the acceleration of gravity. Videos at high spatial resolution show the mechanism of latch formation and release in unprecedented detail. Mouth hooks insert in the caudal segment and raise a cuticular fold that serves as a handle to pressurize the body prior to launch. Since locomotion behaviour should be intrinsically linked to neuromuscular systems, we dissected third instar larvae and determined the precise pattern of abdominal muscles fibres. Compared to non-jumping dipteran larvae, such as Drosophila melanogaster, the overall arrangement is highly similar, but a few muscle fibres show characteristic re-arrangements in orientation and strength that are consistent with a role in bending and jumping. These results suggest that body wall muscles show adaptations to jumping behaviour in Ceratitis larvae, and possibly also in other species with different jumping techniques.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Max Diesner
- Institute for Functional Cell Morphology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Building 26-12-00, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Marcel Brenner
- Institute for Functional Cell Morphology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Building 26-12-00, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Amin Azarsa
- Institute for Functional Cell Morphology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Building 26-12-00, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Caroline Heymann
- Institute for Functional Cell Morphology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Building 26-12-00, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Hermann Aberle
- Institute for Functional Cell Morphology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Building 26-12-00, Universitätsstrasse 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
It's a snap: the friction-based physics behind a common gesture. Nature 2021. [PMID: 34789888 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-021-03444-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
|