title: Nanoscale ion mediated networks in bone: osteopontin can repeatedly dissipate large amounts of energy.
abstract: In the nanocomposite bone, inorganic material is combined with several types of organic molecules, and these complexes have been proposed to increase the bone strength. Here we report on a mechanism of how one of these components, human osteopontin, forms large mechanical networks that can repeatedly dissipate energy through work against entropy by breaking sacrificial bonds and stretching hidden length. The behavior of these in vitro networks is similar to that of organic components in bone, acting as an adhesive layer in between mineralized fibrils.
authors.affiliation: University of California Santa Barbara, Department of Physics, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA. fantner@physics.ucsb.edu
authors.forename: Georg E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Fantner
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Philipp J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Thurner
authors.forename: Larry W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: Paul K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Hansma
mesh_terms: D000268:Adhesiveness; D001857:Bone Matrix / Q000737:chemistry*; D004548:Elasticity; D004735:Energy Transfer; D006244:Hardness; D006801:Humans; D007477:Ions; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D053495:Osteopontin / Q000737:chemistry*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D007477:Ions; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D053495:Osteopontin