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Updated: May 24, 2026

DNA Nanotubes as a Versatile Tool to Study Semiflexible Polymers
Published on: October 25, 2017
The role of structure in the nonlinear mechanics of cross-linked semiflexible polymer networks
Nicholas Agung Kurniawan1, Søren Enemark, Raj Rajagopalan
1NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, Singapore 117456. nicholas@nus.edu.sg
Abstract:
The microstructural basis of the characteristic nonlinear mechanics of biopolymer networks remains unclear. We present a 3D network model of realistic, cross-linked semiflexible fibers to study strain-stiffening and the effect of fiber volume-occupancy. We identify two structural parameters, namely, network connectivity and fiber entanglements, that fully govern the nonlinear response from small to large strains. The results also reveal distinct deformation mechanisms at different length scales and, in particular, the contributions of heterogeneity at short length scales.
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