Dr. Carl Goodrich, Harvard University

"Learning from nature: Biomimetic mechanisms for new materials"

Abstract: Biological structures exhibit a level of complexity, func8onality, and hierarchy that, if fully understood at a mechanistic level, could usher in the next generation of complex designer materials. We will consider a par8cularly puzzling feature of certain biological gels where particles are filtered based on whether or not they bind to the gel. Counterintuitively, it is the binding par8cles that are allowed to pass through the gel while non-binding particles are retained. We will develop a simple equilibrium mechanism for this behavior and discuss its implications.