Mechanical Properties of Arterial Elastin With Water Loss

Elastin is a peculiar elastomer in that it requires water to maintain resilience, and its mechanical properties are closely associated with the immediate aqueous environment. The bulk, extra- and intrafibrillar water plays important roles in both elastic and viscoelastic properties of elastin. In this study, a two-stage liquid–vapor method was developed to investigate the effects of water loss on the mechanical properties of porcine aortic elastin. The tissue samples started in a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution at their fully hydrated condition, with a gravimetric water content of 370±36%. The hydration level was reduced by enclosing the tissue in dialysis tubing and submerging it in polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution at concentrations of 10%, 20%, 30%, and 45% w/v, which reduced the water content of the samples to 258±34%, 224±20%, 109±9%, and 58±3%, respectively. The samples were then transferred to a humidity chamber to maintain the hydration level while the samples underwent equi-biaxial tensile and stress relaxation tests. The concentration of 10% PEG treatment induced insignificant changes in tissue dimensions and stiffness, indicating that the removal of bulk water has less effect on elastin. Significant increases in tangent modulus were observed after 20% and 30% PEG treatment due to the decreased presence of extrafibrillar water. Elastin treated with 45% PEG shows a very rigid behavior as most of the extrafibrillar water is eliminated. These results suggest that extrafibrillar water is crucial for elastin to maintain its elastic behavior. It was also observed that the anisotropy of elastin tends to decrease with water loss. An increase in stress relaxation was observed for elastin treated with 30% PEG, indicating a more viscous behavior of elastin when the amount of extrafibrillar water is significantly reduced. Results from this study shed light on the close association between the bulk, extra- and intrafibrillar water pools and the mechanics of elastin.

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Dynamics of Nanoparticle Chain Aggregates of Carbon Under Tension

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-778-u4.4 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 778 ◽

Author(s):

Rajdip Bandyopadhyaya ◽

Weizhi Rong ◽

Yong J. Suh ◽

Sheldon K. Friedlander

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Carbon Black ◽

Polymer Film ◽

Elastic Behavior ◽

Small Strains ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Chain Aggregates ◽

Nanoparticle Chains ◽

Reinforcing Filler

AbstractCarbon black in the form of nanoparticle chains is used as a reinforcing filler in elastomers. However, the dynamics of the filler particles under tension and their role in the improvement of the mechanical properties of rubber are not well understood. We have studied experimentally the dynamics of isolated nanoparticle chain aggregates (NCAs) of carbon made by laser ablation, and also that of carbon black embedded in a polymer film. In situ studies of stretching and contraction of such chains in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) were conducted under different maximum values of strain. Stretching causes initially folded NCA to reorganize into a straight, taut configuration. Further stretching leads to either plastic deformation and breakage (at 37.4% strain) or to a partial elastic behavior of the chain at small strains (e.g. 2.3% strain). For all cases the chains were very flexible under tension. Similar reorientation and stretching was observed for carbon black chains embedded in a polymer film. Such flexible and elastic nature of NCAs point towards a possible mechanism of reinforcement of rubber by carbon black fillers.

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Hydrogels as Antibacterial Biomaterials

Current Pharmaceutical Design ◽

10.2174/1381612824666180213122953 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (8) ◽

pp. 843-854 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Weiguo Xu ◽

Shujun Dong ◽

Yuping Han ◽

Shuqiang Li ◽

Yang Liu

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Drug Delivery ◽

Tissue Engineering ◽

Water Content ◽

Oxygen Permeability ◽

Structural Diversity ◽

High Water ◽

Clinical Applications ◽

High Water Content ◽

Biomedical Field

Hydrogels, as a class of materials for tissue engineering and drug delivery, have high water content and solid-like mechanical properties. Currently, hydrogels with an antibacterial function are a research hotspot in biomedical field. Many advanced antibacterial hydrogels have been developed, each possessing unique qualities, namely high water swellability, high oxygen permeability, improved biocompatibility, ease of loading and releasing drugs and structural diversity. In this article, an overview is provided on the preparation and applications of various antibacterial hydrogels. Furthermore, the prospects in biomedical researches and clinical applications are predicted.

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Mechanical Properties with Respect to Water Content of Host–Guest Hydrogels

Macromolecules ◽

10.1021/acs.macromol.1c00970 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 54 (17) ◽

pp. 8067-8076 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Motofumi Osaki ◽

Shin Yonei ◽

Chiharu Ueda ◽

Ryohei Ikura ◽

Junsu Park ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Water Content

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Study on mechanical properties and damage evolution of carbonaceous shale under triaxial compression with acoustic emission

International Journal of Damage Mechanics ◽

10.1177/1056789521991193 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 105678952199119

Author(s):

Kai Yang ◽

Qixiang Yan ◽

Chuan Zhang ◽

Wang Wu ◽

Fei Wan

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Acoustic Emission ◽

Water Content ◽

Damage Evolution ◽

Damage Assessment ◽

Triaxial Compression ◽

Confining Pressure ◽

Damage Variable ◽

Natural State ◽

Carbonaceous Shale

To explore the mechanical properties and damage evolution characteristics of carbonaceous shale with different confining pressures and water-bearing conditions, triaxial compression tests accompanied by simultaneous acoustic emission (AE) monitoring were conducted on carbonaceous shale rock specimens. The AE characteristics of carbonaceous shale were investigated, a damage assessment method based on Shannon entropy of AE was further proposed. The results suggest that the mechanical properties of carbonaceous shale intensify with increasing confining pressure and degrade with increasing water content. Moisture in rocks does not only weaken the cohesion but also reduce the internal friction angle of carbonaceous shale. It is observed that AE activities mainly occur in the post-peak stage and the strong AE activities of saturated carbonaceous shale specimens appear at a lower normalized stress level than that of natural-state specimens. The maximum AE counts and AE energy increase with water content while decrease with confining pressure. Both confining pressure and water content induce changes in the proportions of AE dominant frequency bands, but the changes caused by confining pressure are more significant than those caused by water content. The results also indicate that AE entropy can serve as an applicable index for rock damage assessment. The damage evolution process of carbonaceous shale can be divided into two main stages, including the stable damage development stage and the damage acceleration stage. The damage variable increases slowly accompanied by a few AE activities at the first stage, which is followed by a rapid growth along with intense acoustic emission activities at the damage acceleration stage. Moreover, there is a sharp rise in the damage evolution curve for the natural-state specimen at the damage acceleration stage, while the damage variable develops slowly for the saturated-state specimen.

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Stress relaxation in tunable gels

Soft Matter ◽

10.1039/d1sm00091h ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chiara Raffaelli ◽

Wouter G Ellenbroek

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Drug Delivery ◽

Tissue Engineering ◽

Stress Relaxation

Hydrogels are a staple of biomaterials development. Optimizing their use in e.g. drug delivery or tissue engineering requires a solid understanding of how to adjust their mechanical properties. Here, we...

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Evolution of Meniscal Biomechanical Properties with Growth: An Experimental and Numerical Study

Bioengineering ◽

10.3390/bioengineering8050070 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 70

Author(s):

Marco Ferroni ◽

Beatrice Belgio ◽

Giuseppe M. Peretti ◽

Alessia Di Giancamillo ◽

Federica Boschetti

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Stress Relaxation ◽

Developmental Stage ◽

Mechanical Response ◽

Numerical Study ◽

Numerical Models ◽

Mechanical Stimulus ◽

Specific Response ◽

Mechanical Parameters ◽

Biochemical Analyses

The menisci of the knee are complex fibro-cartilaginous tissues that play important roles in load bearing, shock absorption, joint lubrication, and stabilization. The objective of this study was to evaluate the interaction between the different meniscal tissue components (i.e., the solid matrix constituents and the fluid phase) and the mechanical response according to the developmental stage of the tissue. Menisci derived from partially and fully developed pigs were analyzed. We carried out biochemical analyses to quantify glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and DNA content according to the developmental stage. These values were related to tissue mechanical properties that were measured in vitro by performing compression and tension tests on meniscal specimens. Both compression and tension protocols consisted of multi-ramp stress–relaxation tests comprised of increasing strains followed by stress–relaxation to equilibrium. To better understand the mechanical response to different directions of mechanical stimulus and to relate it to the tissue structural composition and development, we performed numerical simulations that implemented different constitutive models (poro-elasticity, viscoelasticity, transversal isotropy, or combinations of the above) using the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics. The numerical models also allowed us to determine several mechanical parameters that cannot be directly measured by experimental tests. The results of our investigation showed that the meniscus is a non-linear, anisotropic, non-homogeneous material: mechanical parameters increase with strain, depend on the direction of load, and vary among regions (anterior, central, and posterior). Preliminary numerical results showed the predominant role of the different tissue components depending on the mechanical stimulus. The outcomes of biochemical analyses related to mechanical properties confirmed the findings of the numerical models, suggesting a specific response of meniscal cells to the regional mechanical stimuli in the knee joint. During maturation, the increase in compressive moduli could be explained by cell differentiation from fibroblasts to metabolically active chondrocytes, as indicated by the found increase in GAG/DNA ratio. The changes of tensile mechanical response during development could be related to collagen II accumulation during growth. This study provides new information on the changes of tissue structural components during maturation and the relationship between tissue composition and mechanical response.

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