Biomimetic Cilia Arrays

Scanning electron microscope images of (left) biological cilia from an epithelial cell culture and (right) an array of biomimetic silia

Efforts to understand the nature of cilia-driven fluid transport in the human lung have been going on since the 1970’s. While the beat shape of airway cilia is now thought to be well understood, the complexities of the airway surface liquid and the difficulties associated with cultured and in vivo studies suggests the need for a highly-controllable model platform.  Toward that end, we have created a biomimetic model consisting of magnetically actuated micro- and nanorod arrays.   We have demonstrated the ability to fabricate and actuate these structures in a variety of fluids, and have shown that biomimetic cilia actuation can be used to generate directional fluid transport and mixing.

Materials Development – Fabrication – Modeling Cilia Bending

Driven Fluid Transport – Mixing and Chaotic Advection

Optical microscope video of 750 nm diameter silia beating in liquid