Dresden 2017 – scientific programme
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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik
CPP 45: Biomaterials and Biopolymers (joint session BP/CPP, organized by BP)
CPP 45.4: Talk
Wednesday, March 22, 2017, 15:45–16:00, SCH A251
Altering Synthetic Semiexible DNA Nanotube Networks by Tunable Cross-linking — •Martin Glaser1,2, Paul Mollenkopf1,2, Christin Möser2, Carsten Schuldt1,2, Jörg Schnauß1,2, Josef Käs1, and David Smith2 — 1Faculty of Physics and Earth Sciences, Institute of Experimental Physics I, Leipzig University, Germany — 2Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, DNA Nanodevices Group, Germany
The mechanical properties of complex soft matter have been subject to various experimental and theoretical studies. The underlying constituents often cannot be modeled in the classical physical frame of flexible polymers or rigid rods. Polymers in the semiflexible regime, where the finite bending stiffness leads to a non-trivial mechanical contribution, are a highly interesting subclass and can be found in the cytoskeleton of living cells. A natural occurring model system for such polymers is the protein actin. However, experimental studies of actin networks to validate existing theories, are limited since the persistence length cannot be altered. Here, we establish a tunable system of cross-linked, synthetically DNA nanotubes to overcome this limitation. We present first results of the impact tunable cross-linking has on the well-characterized entangled DNA nanotube networks. These studies enable investigations of the impact of a crucial parameter of semiflexible polymers, namely the persistence length, on emerging network properties. Also, the study will allow a deeper insight into the underlying mechanics of biomaterials, such as hydrogels, which are extensively used for in vitro as well as in vivo applications.