title: A study of piezoelectric and mechanical anisotropies of the human cornea.
abstract: The piezoelectric and dynamic mechanical properties of human cornea have been investigated as a function of drying time. As expected, the piezoelectric coefficient, d(31), and the Young's modulus, Y, were found to be extremely sensitive to water content. d(31) decreased with dehydration of the corneal tissue and Y increased with dehydration. While these results are significant, the discovery of the unprecedented mechanical and electromechanical anisotropy exhibited by the cornea are the major findings of this study and indicate that the collagen fibrils comprising the cornea are highly oriented. The piezoelectric responses of corneas observed in this study are: diagonally cut samples starting at an average piezoelectric coefficient value of 2250 pC/N, followed by the vertically cut samples, with an average starting value of about 600 pC/N and finally the horizontally cut samples with an average starting value of about 200 pC/N.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Polymer Electroprocessing Laboratory, College of Engineering, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, 98 Brett Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8058, USA.
authors.forename: A Champa
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Jayasuriya
authors.forename: Snehasish
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: Jerry I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Scheinbeim
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lubkin
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: Phillip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kramer
mesh_terms: D016880:Anisotropy; D003315:Cornea / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D046508:Culture Techniques; D003681:Dehydration / Q000503:physiopathology; D004548:Elasticity; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000502:physiology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014867:Water