Collaborative research: structures and properties of synthetic mucus

The National Science Foundation Division of Materials Research awarded $480,000 to the Research Foundation of The City University of New York, doing business as the Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC), on July 15, 2026, under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program (CFDA 47.049) to develop biomimetic synthetic mucus formulations and establish composition-structure-property relationships governing water sorption, water-responsive mechanics, rheology, lubrication, and adhesion in mucus-like soft materials. The project creates synthetic materials that replicate the functional properties of natural mucus—water retention, friction reduction, surface protection, and controlled movement across biological interfaces—with systematic control over mechanical behavior and reproducible manufacturing, enabling a scalable class of biotechnology products tailored more precisely than natural mucus. The work encompasses education and outreach activities providing interdisciplinary research experiences for undergraduate and graduate students and engaging younger students in materials science and biomaterials to broaden STEM participation and strengthen the biotechnology workforce. Performance is located in New York, New York, with an ultimate completion date of June 30, 2029.

Abstract

Non-technical summary mucus is one of nature's most versatile soft materials. IT helps living systems hold water, reduce friction, protect delicate surfaces, and regulate movement across biological interfaces such as the eye, skin, lungs, and digestive tract. Despite its importance in health and biotechnology, scientists still do not fully understand how mucus achieves this unusual combination of properties or how to recreate them in synthetic materials. This project addresses that challenge by developing synthetic, mucus-like materials whose water retention, lubrication, adhesion, and mechanical behavior can be systematically controlled, providing a new class of scalable biotechnology products that can be manufactured more reproducibly and tailored more precisely than natural mucus. The project serves the national interest by expanding basic knowledge at the interface of chemistry, materials science, and biotechnology and by enabling scalable biomaterials with strong commercialization potential. More broadly, this project contributes to the national interest by laying the foundation for new biotechnology products that can improve heath, strength economic competitiveness, and support future commercialization. Education and outreach activities associated with the project provide interdisciplinary research experiences for undergraduate and graduate students and engage younger students in materials science and biomaterials, with the goal of broadening participation in stem and strengthening the biotechnology workforce. Technical summary this project develops biomimetic synthetic mucus formulations to establish composition-structure-property relationships that govern water sorption, water-responsive mechanics, rheology, lubrication, and adhesion in mucus-like soft materials. The central hypothesis is that reproducing the functional behavior of natural mucus requires multicomponent synthetic formulations rather than synthetic mucins alone, and that the properties of these formulations can be predictably tuned by varying the composition of synthetic mucins, matrix proteins, ions, and related components. To test this hypothesis, the project pursues three objectives: (1) create a series of hypothesis-driven synthetic mucin structures, (2) formulate them into multicomponent gels with matrix proteins, and study their water-sorption profiles, water responsive stiffness, adhesion, and rheological properties, and (3) investigate these synthetic mucuses within soft-soft and hard-soft contacts intended to represent natural systems where mucus is commonly found. The work combines synthetic polymer and glycopolymer chemistry with soft-matter characterization, including rheological, tribological, and mechanical measurements, to identify predictive rules for designing tunable mucus-inspired biomaterials. By connecting molecular composition to emergent interfacial and mechanical function, the project establishes a scalable biotechnology platform for synthetic biomaterials and provides a foundation for future translational and commercial development in applications requiring adaptive, water-managing soft interfaces. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.