Dresden 2009 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 2: Biopolymers and Biomaterials (joint session BP/CPP)

BP 2.6: Talk

Monday, March 23, 2009, 12:15–12:30, ZEU 260

Fiber Networks: Relationship between Effective Elastic Properties and Morphology — •Susan Sporer¹, Mayhar Madadi², Stefan Münster³, Klaus Mecke¹, Christoph Arns², Ben Fabry³, and Gerd E. Schröder-Turk¹ — ¹Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany — ²Applied Maths, ANU, Canberra, Australia — ³Center for Medical Physics and Technology, Biophysics Group, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany

Elastic properties of disordered 3D fiber networks formed by reconstituted collagen fibers are studied numerically using a two-phase voxel-based finite element method. The fiber network structures are extracted from segmented confocal microscopy image stacks of collagen gels with different concentrations using the medial axis construction [1]. Effective shear moduli are analysed as function of two morphological parameters, fiber thickness and collagen concentration. For these data, the collagen volume fraction is the principal morphological measure that affects the shear modulus, similar to the case of open-cell foam structures. Our quantitative results raise the question if, for the analysis of effective elastic properties, the collagen scaffold can be modelled as a homogeneous body in network shape with locally isotropic elastic moduli – whereas in reality it is a cross-linked network of anisotropic individual fibers.
[1] W. Mickel , S. Münster, L.M. Jawerth, D.A. Vader, D.A. Weitz, A.P. Sheppard, K. Mecke, B. Fabry, G.E. Schröder-Turk, Biophys. J. 95 (12), in print (2008).