MasterNanosciences, nanotechnologies

The exceptional mechanical properties of living tissues stem from their complex and multi-composite molecular structures organized hierarchically in space. Alterations of their microstructures is significant correlated to many diseases, such as rheumatism or cancerous lesions. In this context, new generation of self-healing biomimetic hydrogels composed of nanoparticles (NPs) incorporated into a 3D bio-polymeric matrix (see figure) are revolutionizing medical implants technologies. However, the microscopic mechanisms controlling their self-assembly and at the origin of their mechanical properties remains poorly understood, which hinders a technological breakthrough. This internship research program at 3SR aims at using cutting-edge computational techniques through large scale coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to elucidate:
    •    How does the interaction between nanoparticles and biopolymers determine the mechanical response under oscillatory deformations?  We will study the impact of the strength of the NPs-biopolymer interaction and the relative fraction of nanoparticles incorporated in the gels.
 
The internship candidates will interact with our collaborators at CERMAV and benefit from the ongoing experiments on hyaloronic acid biopolymer hydrogels charged with silica nanoparticles.

Qualifications of the applicant

This two-year research project is dedicated to students ofthe SoftNano Program of the GS@UGA in the M1 Applied Mechanics, or Soft Matter.
Expected skills: Candidates with academic backgrounds in statistical physics, soft matter, mechanical engineering or physico-chemistry are expected. Specific skills in numerical modeling (Python, C, C++,...) will be strongly recommended. Additional knowledge in polymer physics and/or colloidal materials will be interestingly examined
 

Publications

S. A. Hawley, Biochemistry, 1971, 10, 2436–2442.
L. Smeller, Biochim Biophys Acta, 2002, 1595, 11-29.
J. Peters, J. Marion, F. J. Becher, M. Trapp, T. Gutberlet, D. J. Bicout and T. Heimburg, Sci Rep, 2017, 7, 15339