Pandolfi, Ronald J.; Edwards, Lauren; Johnston, David; Becich, Peter; Hirst, Linda S.
Designing highly tunable semiflexible filament networks
PHYSICAL REVIEW E, 89 Art. No. 062602, JUN 20 2014

Semiflexible polymers can generate a range of filamentous networks significantly different in structure from those seen in conventional polymer solutions. Our coarse-grained simulations with an implicit cross-linker potential show that networks of branching bundles, knotted morphologies, and structural chirality can be generated by a generalized approach independent of specific cross-linkers. Network structure depends primarily on filament flexibility and separation, with significant connectivity increase after percolation. Results should guide the design of engineered semiflexible polymers.

DOI:10.1103/PhysRevE.89.062602

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