Seoul, Korea Stress strain relations in semiflexible networks

We explore theoretically the zero frequency shear modulus of a polymer network constructed from semiflexible polymers and find that the mechanical properties can be varied remarkably by small changes in the length of the constituent polymers or cross-linker density. This sensitive dependence of rheology upon network microstructure is due to the presence of a cross-over from a regime of affine deformation under uniformly applied stress to one of spatially heterogeneous, nonaffine deformation signally the breakdown of continuum elasticity of significant mesoscopic length scales. This cross-over from affine to nonaffine deformation may play an important role in the understanding of the rheology of the cytoskeleton. Moreover, the presence of this cross-over suggests a new mechanism for the construction of highly adaptive gels based on a biomemetic design motif