The deformation field in semiflexible networks
نویسندگان
چکیده
Gels composed of semiflexible polymers have remarkably complex deformational properties. Due to the introduction of a new mesoscopic length scale, the persistence length, the deformation field of these materials can depart from the predictions of continuum elastic theories over mesoscopic lengths. In this paper, we review a recently proposed phase diagram for such semiflexible gels and discuss the implications of this research for modelling the cytoskeleton. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)
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