Semiflexible Polymers and Filaments
نویسندگان
چکیده
(F-) actin or microtubules belong to the class of semiflexible polymers. The biological function of these polymers requires considerable mechanical rigidity. For example, actin filaments are the main structural elements of the cytoskeleton in which actin filaments form a network rigid enough to maintain the shape of the cell and to transmit forces, yet flexible enough to allow for cell motion and internal reorganization in response to external stimuli. Synthetic semiflexible polymers also play an important role in chemical physics. Prominent examples are polyelectrolytes or dendronized polymers, where the electrostatic repulsion of charges along the backbone or the steric interaction of side groups gives rise to considerable bending rigidity.
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