The research objective of this Early Faculty CAREER award is to develop the fundamental foundations for the use of flagellated bacteria as controllable, reconfigurable elements in a network of micro-engineered systems, and to adapt polymeric protein nanostructures for use in nanoscale devices. The intellectual merit of this project will be established through both innovative experiments and computational modeling of nanostructures and nanodevices that are of importance to diverse areas such as medicine, electronics, and energy disciplines. The focus will be on the use of the polymorphic transformation of bacterial flagella in a variety of applications including: direct actuation of nanoscale structural machines; fluid actuation through pumping and mixing; mechanical actuation including autonomous transportation systems; and electrical/electronic actuation through inorganic-organic nanotubes. The goal of the education plan is to bring relevant nano/microscale engineering physics of biological and fluid systems into the educational experience of undergraduate and graduate engineering students. Toward this goal, a course will be offered on the emerging technologies of nanoscale manufacturing and metrology for engineering and technology therefore creating enormous potential for an increased student learning experience. If successful, the results of this research will lead to improved understanding of how the bacterial flagellar polymorphism might be designed to fabricate an entirely new class of nanoscale actuator and sensor systems. Experimental techniques developed in this program will have widespread application to other nanoscale systems in which fluids interact with nanoscale structures. The integrated education activities will contribute to bionanotechnology workforce training that is critical to the nation's manufacturing competitiveness. Outreach components will incorporate laboratory based experiential learning modules in nanotechnology for teachers and students of K-12 institutions in the Philadelphia region. These activities will instill greater appreciation for the importance of STEM education to groups that are traditionally under-represented in higher education.
The purpose of this research is to utilize the polymorphic transformation of bacterial flagella in a variety of applications, including direct actuation of a nanoscale structural "machine", fluid actuation, such as pumping and mixing, mechanical actuation, such as autonomous transportation systems, and lastly electrical/electronic actuation, such as inorganic-organic nanotubes. In addition to the active strain generated by the mechanical polymorphism of the flagellar filament, the filament can be used as an active nanostructure in a different manner by taking advantage of the fact that the filament is rotated (at approximately 150 Hz) by the bacterial rotary motor – this nanoscale biomolecular motor is used for cell motility, but the motion induces fluid motion around the bacteria and this motion has been shown to enhance mixing and induce pumping of fluids at the micrometer scale. Under this program, the PI has explored the collective behavior of multiple active filaments, the physics of their coordination (due to viscous interactions), and moved toward the development of nanoscale devices that are comprised of thousands of flagellar elements that self-coordinate. Moreover, PI has utilized flagella as bio-templates to fabricate silica nanotubes and has functionalized them with minerals and metals for adaptive nano-electronic applications. In total, 1 book, 2 book chapters, 14 referred journal papers and 14 proceeding conference papers have been published and all of them have been cited in the engineering and science communities. During this CAREER program, the PI has addressed the urgent need for a broader range of educational opportunities in the advanced manufacturing technology arena. The goal of the education plan is to bring relevant nano/microscale engineering physics of biological and fluid systems into the educational experience of undergraduate and graduate engineering students as well as offer a course in the emerging technologies in nanoscale metrology and manufacturing for engineering and technology education therefore creating enormous potential for increasing student learning experiences that are critical to the nation’s manufacturing competitiveness. In total, 4 new lecture and laboratory modules have been developed and all of them have been tested at Drexel University via new and existing courses. The laboratory modules were used in outreach programs at Drexel University such as INSPIRE academy, Science in Motion, and a Day in College at Drexel University. Two assessment based courses: Fundamentals of Nanomanufacturing and Applications and Fundamentals of Nano Metrology and Best Practices were developed and are now available on the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Nano Educational Series. The courses focus on fundamentals of nanoscale metrology and manufacturing and new nanosystems applications, which are delivered in manageable modules of information allowing users to take the courses at their own pace and designed for the working engineers/students/professional with some working knowledge of nanometrology.
