title: Designing highly tunable semiflexible filament networks.
abstract: Semiflexible polymers can generate a range of filamentous networks significantly different in structure from those seen in conventional polymer solutions. Our coarse-grained simulations with an implicit cross-linker potential show that networks of branching bundles, knotted morphologies, and structural chirality can be generated by a generalized approach independent of specific cross-linkers. Network structure depends primarily on filament flexibility and separation, with significant connectivity increase after percolation. Results should guide the design of engineered semiflexible polymers.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, California 95343, USA.
authors.forename: Ronald J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Pandolfi
authors.affiliation: University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, California 95343, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.affiliation: University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, California 95343, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.affiliation: University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, California 95343, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Becich
authors.affiliation: University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, California 95343, USA.
authors.forename: Linda S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Hirst
mesh_terms: D004548:Elasticity; D017709:Fractals; D056004:Molecular Dynamics Simulation; D044367:Phase Transition; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011108:Polymers