title: Hierarchical chirality transfer in the growth of Towel Gourd tendrils.
abstract: Chirality plays a significant role in the physical properties and biological functions of many biological materials, e.g., climbing tendrils and twisted leaves, which exhibit chiral growth. However, the mechanisms underlying the chiral growth of biological materials remain unclear. In this paper, we investigate how the Towel Gourd tendrils achieve their chiral growth. Our experiments reveal that the tendrils have a hierarchy of chirality, which transfers from the lower levels to the higher. The change in the helical angle of cellulose fibrils at the subcellular level induces an intrinsic torsion of tendrils, leading to the formation of the helical morphology of tendril filaments. A chirality transfer model is presented to elucidate the chiral growth of tendrils. This present study may help understand various chiral phenomena observed in biological materials. It also suggests that chirality transfer can be utilized in the development of hierarchically chiral materials having unique properties.
authors.affiliation: 1] Tianjin Key Laboratory of Modern Engineering Mechanics, Department of Mechanics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, People's Republic of China [2] Department of Mechanical Engineering and Science, Kyoto University, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8540, Japan.
authors.forename: Jian-Shan
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xi-Qiao
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Yi-Lan
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Shou-Wen
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Qing-Hua
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Qin