Sensing surface morphology of biofibers by decorating spider silk and cellulosic filaments with nematic microdroplets
Abstract
Biological microfibers are remarkable materials with diverse structural and mechanical properties, such as high wear-resistance, elasticity, and biodegradability. However, with current techniques, there are few robust ways to sense the surface properties of the fibers, which crucially affect the organization of the fibers and their interactions with the surrounding material. In this paper, we show that surfaces of diverse biofibers, including spider silks and cellulosic fibers, can be easily sensed by depositing droplets of a nematic fluid onto the fibers. The droplets reveal the surface properties of the fibers via their optical images, notably showing also the fiber chirality. Further, the droplets are used to study the entanglement of biofibers, as a route toward novel biological and bioinspired materials.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jan 14, 2016
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.1518739113
Entities
People
- Alexandre De Oliveira
- David Seč
- Luis E. Aguirre
- Maria Helena Godinho
- Miha Ravnik
- Pedro L. Almeida
- Simon Čopar
- Slobodan Žumer
Organizations
- European Commission
- European Regional Development Fund
- Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa
- Jožef Stefan Institute
- Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
- United States Air Force
- University of Ljubljana