Related papers: The nonlinear time-dependent response of isotactic…
We study a minimal extension of the worm-like chain to describe polypeptides having alpha-helical secondary structure. In this model presence/absence of secondary structure enters as a scalar variable that controls the local chain bending…
We perform molecular dynamic (MD) simulations of frictional non-thermal particles driven by an externally applied shear stress. After the system jams following a transient flow, we probe its mechanical response in order to clarify whether…
The stress-strain relations and the yield behavior of model glass (a 80:20 binary Lennard-Jones mixture) is studied by means of MD simulations. First, a thorough analysis of the static yield stress is presented via simulations under imposed…
We review the physical properties of macromolecular networks, consisting of semiflexible polymers such as actin. We start by giving a theoretical analysis of the conformational statistics and mechanical response of single filaments.…
We present an experimental study of the isotropic-nematic phase transition in an aqueous mixture of charged semi-flexible rods (fd virus) and neutral polymer (Dextran). A complete phase diagram is measured as a function of ionic strength…
Disordered networks of semiflexible filaments are common support structures in biology. Familiar examples include fibrous matrices in blood clots, bacterial biofilms, and essential components of cells and tissues of plants, animals, and…
The longitudinal response of single semiflexible polymers to sudden changes in externally applied forces is known to be controlled by the propagation and relaxation of backbone tension. Under many experimental circumstances, realized, e.g.,…
Based on the wormlike chain model, a coarse-grained description of the nonlinear dynamics of a weakly bending semiflexible polymer is developed. By means of a multiple scale perturbation analysis, a length-scale separation inherent to the…
Wetting and drying phenomena are studied for flexible and semiflexible polymer solutions via coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations and density functional theory calculations. The study is based on the use of Young's equation for the…
Predicting the time and temperature dependent behavior of polymer networks under complex loading is essential for the design of advanced elastomeric materials. Many practical applications involve combinations of deformation modes, such as…
We have explored isotropically jammed states of semi-2D granular materials through cyclic compression. In each compression cycle, systems of either identical ellipses or bi-disperse disks, transition between jammed and unjammed states. We…
Active networks made of biopolymers and motor proteins are valuable bioinspired systems that have been used in the last decades to study the cytoskeleton and its self-organization under mechanical stimulation. Different techniques are…
We investigate conformations and dynamics of a polymer considering its monomers to be active Brownian particles. This active polymer shows very intriguing physical behavior which is absent in an active Rouse chain. The chain initially…
Properties of 1,4-\textit{trans} poly (isoprene) at ambient conditions are determined by simulations on two length scales based on two different models: a full-atomistic and a mesoscopic one. The models are linked via a mapping scheme such…
We investigate the constitutive response of two-dimensional packed samples of polygons using molecular dynamics simulation. The incremental elasto-plastic response is examined in the pre-failure regime. Besides the Young modulus and the…
This note addresses a three-dimensional model for isothermal stress-induced transformation in shape-memory polycrystalline materials. We treat the problem within the framework of the energetic formulation of rate-independent processes and…
A model is derived for the viscoelastic response of glasses at isothermal uniaxial deformation with small strains. A glass is treated as an ensemble of relaxing units with various activation energies for rearrangement. With reference to the…
We describe a phase transition that gives rise to structurally non-trivial states in a two-dimensional ordered network of particles connected by harmonic bonds. Monte Carlo simulations reveal that the network supports, apart from the…
Randomly disordered (polydomain) liquid crystalline elastomers align under stress. We study the dynamics of stress relaxation before, during and after the Polydomain-Monodomain transition. The results for different materials show the…
Liquid crystal elastomers are cross-linked elastomer networks with liquid crystal mesogens incorporated into the main or side chain. Polydomain liquid crystalline (nematic) elastomers exhibit unusual mechanical properties like soft…