Some solid lubricants are characterized by a layered structure with weak (van der Waals) inter-interlayer forces which allow for easy, low-strength shearing. Solid lubricants in natural lubrication are characterized by phospholipid bilayers in the articular joints and phospholipid lamellar phases in synovial fluid. The influence of the acid–base properties of the phospholipid bilayer on the wettability and properties of the surface have been explained by studying the interfacial tension of spherical lipid bilayers based on a model membrane. In this paper, we show that the phospholipid multi-bilayer can act as an effective solid lubricant in every aspect, ranging from a ‘corrosion inhibitor’ in the stomach to a load-bearing lubricant in bovine joints. We present evidence of the outstanding performance of phospholipids and argue that this is due to their chemical inertness and hydrophilic–hydrophobic structure, which makes them amphoteric and provides them with the ability to form lamellar structures that can facilitate functional sliding. Moreover, the friction coefficient can significantly change for a given phospholipid bilayer so it leads to a lamellar-repulsive mechanism under highly charged conditions. After this, it is quickly transformed to result in stable low-friction conditions.

This paper provides results of studies of chemically induced deformation of PVA [poly(vinyl alcohol)] hydrogels due to interaction with diffusing NaCl and KCl solutions. The experimental studies were carried out in the specially modified reservoir system, where simultaneously registration the changes in the reservoir salt concentration and the deformation under chemical load were applied. The linear model is used to determine the chemo-mechanical coupling parameter. The results showed that PVA hydrogels deform in the presence of salts in pore fluid and the higher the salt concentration the greater deformation is observed.

Biocompatibility, biodegradability and non-toxicity are the main attributes of any material to be used in biomedical applications. Among all the potential stimuli, pH, salt and temperature exist naturally in the internal environment of the human body. Hence internal stimuli responsive hydrogels can be exploited for specific drug delivery and tissue replacement. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is the world’s largest volume synthetic polymer, produced for its excellent chemical resistance, physical properties and complete biodegradability, which has resulted in broad practical applications. PVA could be considered a suitable host material due to its good thermo-stability, chemical resistance and film-forming ability. It is also an important material because of its large-scale applications. Novel data analysis techniques were developed to analyze the response of PVA to external stimuli, including temperature and/or pH. The presented non-contact method shows that the PVA polymer gel, physically cross-linked by freezing and thawing, shrinks and swells under the influence of temperature, which is a reversible phenomenon. Under the given conditions, such as temperature, pH and mechanical load, the dominant factor affecting the swelling or contraction of the hydrogel is the change in the temperature of the liquid in which the PVA hydrogel sample is immersed.

A model of the indentation of a circular elastic membrane (neo-Hookean material) on an incompressible liquid layer and an effective numerical solution method are presented. For the interface between the indenter and the membrane, stick or slip contact conditions are considered. The solution procedure identifies the liquid pressure and, for slip contact, the radius in the reference configuration displaced to the edge of the indenter. Assuming a range of material and test performance parameters regarding deep tonometry of soft subcutaneous tissue, the predictions for the distributions of stretches, line tensions and profiles of the indented membrane are analyzed. Among the key results of this work are the dependencies of the total indentation force and the liquid pressure on the Young’s modulus of the membrane’s material that appeared to be approximately linear for a range of Young’s modulus values. The profiles of the membrane for different indentation depths are close to parabolic and can be used to relate the longitudinal line tension at the edge of the indenter to the total indentation force.