English

Soft elasticity of RNA gels and negative Poisson ratio

Soft Condensed Matter 2007-05-23 v1

Abstract

We propose a model for the elastic properties of RNA gels. The model predicts anomalous elastic properties in the form of a negative Poisson ratio and shape instabilities. The anomalous elasticity is generated by the non-Gaussian force-deformation relation of single-stranded RNA. The effect is greatly magnified by broken rotational symmetry produced by double-stranded sequences and the concomitant soft modes of uniaxial elastomers.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0512423,
  title  = {Soft elasticity of RNA gels and negative Poisson ratio},
  author = {Amir Ahsan and Joseph Rudnick and Robijn Bruinsma},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0512423},
  year   = {2007}
}

Comments

10 pages, 17 figures