Cell Adhesion in Nanotribology with Aracely Rocha

In this episode, we talk to Aracely Rocha, who has been doing research in the field of nanotribology for biological applications. Her focus has been on how materials at various scales interact with biomolecules. She has tried to quantify this interaction through adhesion. In a paper, Aracely and her co-authors posit that "measuring cell adhesion has become critical for design and development of materials and devices for biological applications." Her work could impact a number of biological applications, including improving the life of artificial joints, or the efficiency of drug delivery. To listen, click the play button in the slider bar above, download the episode, read or translate the transcript here for more on this exciting work. Below, you can see a snapshot of her work.

In addition to her work in the field, Aracely is involved in many different ways as a student member of STLE. Most recently, Aracely participated and received the Gold Level award in the Student Poster Competition at the 2011 Annual Meeting, for her work "Protein Adhesion to TiN and CrN Coatings." To see a full list of the award winners, click here. Aracely has also been a Program Session Chair at a previous STLE Annual Meeting and is now involved with her University's newly formed student chapter. Getting involved has its rewards. Become a student member today!

Tribochemistry and Nanoscale Surface Interactions in Nanotribology with David Huitink

In this episode, we discuss the interesting and growing field of nanotribology from a PhD student's perspective. David Huitink attends Texas A&M and is active in STLE. Most recently, he founded the Texas A&M University Chapter of STLE and served as its President in 2010. Listen as David discusses his work: using nanoscale contact to study friction and tribochemical reactions. This involves studying the chemical and interfacial reactions taking place at the nanoscale as a result of friction and contact forces.

To experience the interview, click the play button in the slider bar above, download the episode here, and read or translate the text version of the interview here.

Visit our website for more information about nanotribology. For more on David, you can read his winning Student Poster Abstract that was submitted at the 2010 STLE Annual Meeting and later published in TLT. You can also visit the Liang research group website by clicking here.

Micro- and Nanoscale Phenomena in Tribology with Dr. Yip-Wah Chung

The newest episode of The STLE Compass features an interview with Dr. Yip-Wah Chung who has just recently finished his book, Micro- and Nanoscale Phenomena in Tribology.

The book presents the fundamentals of micro- and nanoscale phenomena associated with the tribological interface, and is based on presentations given at the NSF Summer Institute on Nanomechanics, Nanomaterials, and Micro/Nanomanufacturing. Each chapter features a different author on their subject of expertise. Listen to the interview to find out more about the book and the man who contributed to and organized the book. Click on the slider bar to play the episode in your screen, download the episode to your desktop, or read the transcript. To explore more about the book's content or topic, visit our website.

For more on Dr. Chung, you can visit Northwestern's website. For more on the book, visit the publisher, CRC, at their website. The book is targeted for release in October or November of this year, so watch for it in the coming months. Don't forget to check out the STLE Store when the book is released to get your discount code for being an STLE member!

Dr. Chung is a published author, and you can get more information on his other book, Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering here. Dr. Chung will be attending the Annual Meeting next week, giving you an opportunity to meet and talk with him and the other authors. You can see who is going by viewing the Registration List on our website.

Nanotribology and MEMS: There's Still Plenty of Room at the Bottom with Dr. Michael Dugger

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Michael Dugger, Distinguished Technical Staff Member at Sandia National Laboratories. Dr. Dugger discusses nanotribology and MEMS (micro-electrical-mechanical systems). MEMS are small mechanical devices that are driven by, or have as their output, electrical signals.

According to Dr. Dugger, nanotribology is "the study of interactions of small collections of atoms involving relative motion between one group of atoms and another." Nanotribology is a key component of nanotechnology and its development. According to an article in TLT from January 2009, "a dozen nano products are commercially introduced each month-and lubrication issues are at the heart of nearly all of them." Lubrication at the nano scale is fundamentally different and requires a different approach because what works on the normal scale, may not work in an application at the nano scale.

Dr. Dugger is one of many working and researching in this area, attempting to discover what lubrication methods work best and how to apply this research to the use of MEMS. Here, you can see the scale of a typical friction device that is used at Sandia.

Click here to download the episode, listen to it in the slider bar above, or read the transcript. For more on Dr. Dugger, his research, and Sandia National Laboratories, read TLT's 20 Minutes article, or visit the STLE website. You can stay updated on recent innovations in nanotribology by attending the 2011 STLE Annual Meeting, which will have a nanotribology technical track.