Berlin 2018 – scientific programme
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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik
CPP 5: Polymer Networks and Elastomers I
CPP 5.1: Invited Talk
Monday, March 12, 2018, 09:30–10:00, PC 203
Strain-controlled criticality governs the nonlinear mechanics of fibre networks — •Abhinav Sharma1,2, Albert Licup2, Karin Jansen3,4, Robbie Rens2, Michael Sheinman2, Jordan Shivers5, Jingchen Feng5, Gijsje Koenderink3, and Fred MacKintosh2,5 — 1Leibniz Institute for polymer research, Dresden — 2Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam — 3AMOLF, Amsterdam — 4University of Manchester, UK — 5Rice University, Houston, USA
Disordered fibrous networks are ubiquitous in nature as major structural components of living cells and tissues. The mechanical stability of networks generally depends on the degree of connectivity: only when the average number of connections between nodes exceeds the isostatic threshold are networks stable1. On increasing the connectivity through this point, such networks undergo a mechanical phase transition from a floppy to a rigid phase. However, even sub-isostatic networks become rigid when subjected to sufficiently large deformations. To study this strain-controlled transition, we perform a combination of computational modelling of fibre networks and experiments on networks of type I collagen fibres, which are crucial for the integrity of biological tissues. We show theoretically that the development of rigidity is characterized by a strain-controlled continuous phase transition with signatures of criticality. Our experiments demonstrate mechanical properties consistent with our model, including the predicted critical exponents.