Strain-Stiffening in Dynamic Supramolecular Fiber Networks.

ABSTRACT: The cytoskeleton is a highly adaptive network of filamentous proteins capable of stiffening under stress even as it dynamically assembles and disassembles with time constants of minutes. Synthetic materials that combine reversibility and strain-stiffening properties remain elusive. Here, strain-stiffening hydrogels that have dynamic fibrous polymers as their main structural components are reported. The fibers form via self-assembly of bolaamphiphiles (BA) in water and have a well-defined cross-section of 9 to 10 molecules. Fiber length recovery after sonication, H/D exchange experiments, and rheology confirm the dynamic nature of the fibers. Cross-linking of the fibers yields strain-stiffening, self-healing hydrogels that closely mimic the mechanics of biological networks, with mechanical

SUBMITTER: Fernandez-Castano Romera M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6302312 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature